The business and pleasure of teeth: Dental tourism

In-vogue 21st century, the popular term globalization has definitely conjured a plethora of development, the economic surge, integrated corporate dental offices, and contemporary approaches to health-seeking behavior. Transnational medical travel, a heterogeneous phenomenon has gained attention recently as a strategy for patients to procure cost effective care of superior quality relative to that provided within their home countries. Dental tourism, a subset of medical tourism, involves individuals seeking dental care outside their local healthcare systems, coupled with a vacation. India, a country of continental proportions, has become a popular destination for foreign patients in recent times, particularly in dental care. India’s accessibility and availability of quality assured and cost-effective dental treatment, amalgamated with its myriad hues of culture and heritage, has exponentially fostered the bloom of India in “dental tourism.” Steep costs, lack of health insurance and dental benefits are key factors pushing low-income western world families to obtain cross-country dental care. Dental Tourism companies and corporate dental chains are increasingly advertising “all inclusive” travel packages that include dental procedures, hotel room reservations, side trips to tourist attractions, and airline tickets to lure international clients. The objective of this scientific communication was to explore and address the social, ethical, economic, and legal dimensions of dental tourism in India. With current governmental activities in full throttle, the tide of dental tourism definitely envisages to boost the economy of the Indian Republic manifold. The future is not near. It’s here