A new study has been published which compares the cost of providing dental treatment in nine European countries. The UK has the highest costs of dental treatment. (Note: the study compared the cost of providing dental treatment, not the prices that are charged to patients).According to Siok Swan Tan of Erasmus University Rotterdam, the lead author of the study, differences in dentists' are the most important reason for the variation in costs. "They account for 70 per cent of total costs in England, and range from €0.09 per minute in Hungary to €2.88 a minute in England."
As a result prices for both NHS and private dental treatment in the UK are much higher than in other European countries. It's the main driver for the growth of dental tourism with Hungary the leading destination for UK patients.
The research is part of a wider European Commission study that compares the cost of medical procedure; the study was published in the journal Health Economics.
You can read a full report on the study on the Independent newspaper site. The story made front page news in the UK today.