I came across an article by Alex Berenson on the ZNet site from the end of last year that covered a lot of interesting points in relation to dentistry in the United States at this time. You can read the article in full here:
Boom Times for Dentists, but Not for Teeth
It clearly describes a situation that should worry anyone with an interest in local healthcare. The number of dentists in the United States is decreasing at the moment, the number of adults and children with untreated cavities is increasing, and publically supported dental clinics have months long waiting lists.
The danger here is that if there are not enough dentists to go around, they will choose to treat only the patients with the most money or insurance, leaving low or middle income familes unable to afford proper dental care. From our survey of dental tourism patients earlier this year, price is the number one factor driving them to travel outside their home country, so it is no wonder that patients from the United States are travelling to see dentists in Mexico and dentists in Costa Rica in ever increasing numbers.
Healthcare is already on its way to being a big issue in this year’s Presidential election. It will be interesting to see how dentistry will fit into the debate.
