ADA findings on dental tourism trends
The Council on Dental Benefit Programs was assigned as the lead agency to respond to Resolution 34H-2007. The results of the surveys of ADA councils, agencies and constituent dental societies in addressing each of its resolving clauses say:
- higher cost elective procedures are most vulnerable to dental tourism;
- lack of follow-up care and the inability to file a complaint in the case of treatment failures may limit a patient’s desire to receive care abroad;
- bundling of dental and medical procedures can be self-limiting (i.e., a patient can only have so many procedures done while on “vacation”);
- recovery times and locale may inhibit a patient’s desire to travel for care;
- language and cultural background may encourage some patients to travel abroad for care while at the same time discourage others.
The research also indicates that the ADA and constituent dental societies are already working to position the profession for the future through:
- collaborative efforts with specialties and public and private organizations to improve patient access to dental care while emphasizing the importance of a dental home;
- development of model legislation available through the ADA Department of State Government Affairs to address issues related to dental tourism, as well as the monitoring of state and federal legislative and regulatory activity in this area;
- development of principles of dental treatment related to improving oral health in America that can be used in potential negotiations regarding any health care reform proposal;
- documentation of substandard quality of care, especially in cases involving retreatment;
- collaborative legislative efforts with public and private organizations on issues involving foreign dental laboratory work;
- increasing patients’, insurance companies’ and plan purchasers’ understanding of the value of quality dental care delivered by qualified professionals through educational opportunities in communications, public information and dental benefits;
- increasing quality of workforce through ADA Foundation work in education;
- increasing efficiency by maximizing use of technology through the work of the Council on Dental Practice (to improve the functionality of the electronic claim); the Department of Dental Informatics (to improve dental practice through the application of computer and information science); and the ADA Electronic Health Record Workgroup (to proactively advocate for the needs of dental patients and the goals of the dental profession in the electronic health record);
- improving access through the development of new practice models, such as the Community Dental Health Coordinator.聽