Research comparing the average cost of dental treatments in the G7 found that the UK was the third most expensive country.
The study was published by Healthnews on 19 March and compares the average cost of dentistry in the Group of Seven (G7) countries. The research focuses on five key procedures – cleaning, crowns, root canals, tooth extraction and fillings. Data was taken from more than 350 local dental and oral health websites to create the averages.
The United States topped the list with an overall average cost of $518. Canada was second at $414, with the UK in third place at $331.
The most affordable dentistry was found in Italy – the overall average cost was $173.
Though the UK average was the third highest, some procedures were cheaper relative to other countries. The average price of a cleaning was found to be $92 in the UK, beaten only by Germany ($89) and Italy ($78).
What makes dentistry less expensive?
The cheaper price of dentistry in Italy is said to be partly due to an overall lower cost of living and operational expenses. However it is also noted that the Italian national health service also provides certain dental treatments at a lowered cost or for free.
Nadzeya Sankovich, author of the study, notes that the figures for the UK encompass both NHS and private dentistry. The inclusion of NHS fees is likely to have lowered the UK’s average prices.
It has recently been announced that NHS dental charges will increase in England from April 2024. Shawn Charlwood, chair of the BDA’s General Dental Practice Committee, described this as a ‘slap in the face for hard-pressed families across England’. Collected in March 2024, the increase in NHS charges is not reflected in data used within the study.
In January, research published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) found that cost had affected the kind of dental treatment that one third of adults in England received. A quarter of respondents also said they had delayed treatment for this reason.
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