Healthcare: Study on the dental health behaviour of Romanians in the diaspora

The Clinic DRU announces the results of a detailed study regarding the behavior of the Romanians in the diaspora as regards oral care. The main identified issues are the high costs of treatments abroad. The study shows that Romania is last by one in the European Union regarding the frequency of the visits to the dentist. Only one out of four Romanians go to a check-up annually and eight out of ten prefer to postpone the visits even when there are dental pains, choosing painkillers instead of the treatment. In the diaspora, this behavior is even more present due to financial priorities such as personal savings of sending money home.   According to experts, emergency dental procedures can cost up to 10 times more than preventive treatments. Romanians visit a dentist on average 0.5 times a year, putting Romania in second last place in the EU. These statistics emphasise the need for a change in mentality about oral care, especially in the diaspora where access to treatment is often dictated by cost.   Besides the costs, the quality of the services plays an important role. Romania has imposed itself as destination for dental tourism due to the well-prepared specialists and use of premium materials at accessible prices. This phenomenon shows that the differences in prices are not only an economic advantage but an opportunity for the patients to benefit from quality treatments at reasonable costs.   Compared to Western Europe, Romania offers much more affordable costs for complex treatments such as dental implants: - Full dental implant in Romania: €850-1,200, compared to €2,500-3,000 in Italy, €2,000-2,800 in Spain, €3,500-4,500 in France, €3,000-4,000 in Germany and €3,500-5,500 in the UK. - All-on-4 work costs €5,000-7,000 in Romania, while prices in Western Europe range from €9,000 to €25,000.   The tendency to postpone treatments until they become absolutely necessary is also found among Romanian communities abroad. 80% of Romanians prefer to postpone or skip visiting the doctor even when toothache is a real problem, resorting to painkillers instead of treatment. In the diaspora, these barriers are compounded by differing financial priorities: many Romanians choose to save or send money to family, postponing investing in their own dental health until their regular visit home. Some 67% of Romanians who travel for medical purposes do so for dental services, placing dentistry among the top reasons for medical tourism.