[Dental care for foreigners in Hungary]

Area of Science:

• Dental Medicine
• Health Economics
• Sociology

Background:

• High-quality elective dental care for foreign patients in Hungary has evolved significantly since 1989.
• The phenomenon of 'dental tourism' has become prevalent, though often with negative connotations.
• Previous scientific research on this topic was lacking despite its evident professional and economic importance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To scientifically investigate the phenomenon of dental tourism in Hungary.
• To assess the economic significance of cross-border dental patient migration.
• To analyze the impact of foreign patients on the Hungarian dental market in key regions.

Main Methods:

• A scientific survey was conducted using self-reported questionnaires.
• The study focused on dentists in Budapest and three counties in Western Hungary.
• Data collection involved conventional mail surveys to members of the Hungarian Medical Chamber's Dental Section.

Main Results:

• Respond rates were 20.65% in Budapest and 25.34% in Western Hungary.
• In Western Hungary, 80.81% of foreign patients were from Austria, with some practices deriving 40-100% of income from this sector.
• Budapest saw more diverse foreign patient nationalities (e.g., 9.93% from the UK), but dental tourism's economic impact was less significant than domestic demand.

Conclusions:

• Cross-border patient migration for dental care is a notable phenomenon in Hungary.
• Dental tourism holds significant economic importance, particularly in Western Hungary near the Austrian border.
• While prevalent, the economic impact of dental tourism in Budapest is currently outbalanced by the substantial domestic demand.