The risks of having dental treatment overseas

Why prices differ

You will hear about dental procedures performed overseas at prices well below Australian ones.

Price differences reflect a range of things — local costs, wages, regulation, materials and equipment. Some overseas clinics provide excellent care; standards vary widely, and vary within countries as much as between them.

Rather than generalising by destination, it is more useful to look at the factors that determine quality of care anywhere, and then at the risks specific to having treatment far from home. Three companion articles cover the same territory: dental tourism: what risks are involved?, dental tourism — the pitfalls and overseas dental work could cost you more in the long-term.

What determines quality of care

1. The practitioner's qualifications

Dentistry is increasingly specialised, and specialists hold at least two tertiary degrees — a first in general dentistry (four to five years) and a second in their field, such as orthodontics (three to four years). Dentists and registered specialists and why would I need to see a dental specialist? explain what the distinction means in Australia; specialist care lists the recognised fields.

It is worth knowing how tightly that is defined here, because it is the yardstick you are implicitly using when you read an overseas clinic's website. The Dental Board of Australia states that there are 13 dental specialties in Australia, approved by the Australian Health Workforce Ministerial Council — dento-maxillofacial radiology, endodontics, forensic odontology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral medicine, oral and maxillofacial pathology, oral surgery, orthodontics, paediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, public health dentistry (community dentistry) and special needs dentistry. Anything outside that list is not a dental specialty in Australia, whatever it is called elsewhere.

The Board also requires that applicants for specialist registration have completed a minimum of two years general dental practice and met all other requirements for general registration as a dentist, on top of holding a qualification in the specialty itself.

Leading clinicians also maintain membership of professional organisations, to stay current with developments in their field. What makes a truly great dentist? and finding a dentist online in Australia are the two articles on how to assess that from the outside.

The important qualification: training standards, and what a given title means, differ between countries. Specialist registration is not transferable, so an overseas title does not establish Australian-equivalent qualification — in either direction. The comparison that matters most in practice is set out in orthodontic treatment: general dentist vs specialist orthodontist? and endodontist vs dentist for root canal.

That is not the same as saying overseas training counts for nothing. The Board's own documents describe an assessment pathway: the two years of general practice may be achieved by experience outside Australia, subject to assessment and approval by the Board, and the Board, with the Dental Council of New Zealand, has developed Entry-level competencies for dental specialties, one stated purpose of which is to assist the Board in the assessment of overseas applications for specialist registration. The point is that an overseas qualification is assessed here by a named body against a published standard — and that assessment is the thing a foreign title on a website has not been through.

2. Materials, equipment and laboratories

A successful outcome depends on the quality of materials used (for example, the porcelain in a restoration), the equipment available (including operating microscopes), and the laboratories fabricating appliances and restorations. See why is the microscope so crucial in endodontic treatment?, the technology page, and the Smile Solutions laboratory.

This is largely invisible to a patient. Two crowns can look identical and be made of very different materials by laboratories of very different standards. What types of dental crowns are available? and what is the difference between composite veneers and porcelain veneers? explain the differences you cannot see, and how long do porcelain veneers last? explains when they become apparent.

3. Regulation and infection control

Patient welfare depends on the regulation of practitioners and clinics, including infection control standards.

All three factors vary from country to country — and they are a large part of what determines the fee.

The risks specific to treatment overseas

These apply regardless of the standard of the clinic, and they are the substantive argument.

Follow-up

Most comprehensive dental work requires follow-up — to confirm treatment has succeeded, or to take corrective action if it has not.

Follow-up is more effective when it is carried out by the same clinician, or one within the same practice, or at least one with access to your complete records — and when the materials used are consistent and mutually compatible. Is it important to have a family dentist? and how important is communication in dentistry? make the case for continuity.

Dental materials used overseas are not necessarily compatible with those used in Australia, and vice versa.

This is the risk that does not depend on anyone's competence. Complex restorative work needs adjustment over months. Ten days abroad does not provide that, and the clinician who planned it is unreachable when it is needed. I need a smile makeover — what's involved? and complex dental cases: what happens when multiple specialists need to collaborate show how long a comprehensive plan actually takes. Turkey teeth: the real risks of getting veneers overseas describes what tends to arrive back.

Insurance

You are unlikely to be covered by private health insurance for elective dentistry carried out overseas.

And you may not be covered for a medical emergency occurring in Australia as a result of a procedure performed in another country.

That second point is worth checking specifically with your fund before travelling. It is not obvious, and it is expensive to discover afterwards. Understanding your treatment and the price guide set out how quotes and cover work here.

Legal recourse

Many countries have no accessible governing body to turn to for remedy if you have cause for complaint about treatment within their jurisdiction.

Practically: if something goes wrong, the avenue for complaint you would have in Australia may not exist, and pursuing it from another country is rarely feasible. If you have already had work done and it has not held, second opinions and corrective dentistry is the starting point here.

The protections that apply in Australia

All genuine dental specialists in Australia are registered with the Dental Board of Australia, and you can check their accreditation on the AHPRA register of practitioners. The clinical team at this practice is listed by name with registration details. That register is not a courtesy listing: the Board describes it as an online register of all dental practitioners which also includes details of the specialty or specialties for dentists who hold specialist registration.

Infection control standards are governed by Dental Board guidelines and health practitioner regulation law.

An Act of Parliament governs the required standard of care for medical and dental professionals practising in Australia.

Those are the concrete, checkable things. They are also available to you here in two minutes, for any Australian practitioner you are considering.

If you are weighing it up

Exercise caution, and do not rely on internet advertising or online testimonials — which are the least reliable evidence available, and which cannot lawfully be used to advertise regulated health services in Australia for exactly that reason. Dental myths exposed is a reminder of how readily marketing claims become received wisdom.

AHPRA is specific about why. The National Law does not allow the use of testimonials or purported testimonials to advertise regulated health services, and AHPRA identifies the risk of harm as greatest where a testimonial creates an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment, encourages the unnecessary use of health services, or is false, misleading or deceptive — including testimonials that are selectively published or edited, or fake.

The definition is worth knowing, because it tells you exactly which glowing sentences are the ones to discount. A comment counts as a testimonial if it refers to a clinical aspect of the service, which AHPRA defines as any of three things: the symptom or reason for seeking treatment; the specific diagnosis or treatment provided; or the specific outcome, or the skills or experience of the practitioner, either directly or via comparison. Comments that are purely about customer service or communication style are not testimonials and may lawfully be used.

So the reviews an Australian practice is permitted to show you are, by law, the ones about the waiting room and the phone manner — and the clinical success stories filling an overseas clinic's page are precisely the category Australian law treats as too unreliable to advertise on. The rule has weight behind it: AHPRA notes that in 2022 the National Law was amended so that the maximum financial penalty per advertising offence rose from $5,000 to $60,000 for an individual and from $10,000 to $120,000 for a body corporate, and that as of July 2024 those increased penalties apply in all jurisdictions, including Western Australia.

The questions worth answering before you decide:

If the obstacle is the amount rather than the dentistry, it is worth asking about arrangements here before booking a flight. Payment plan options are available. Where a plan is advertised as interest free, that describes the plan term only — a deposit may be required, an establishment fee and ongoing account fees may apply, and charges can apply if the balance is not cleared within the agreed period. The applicable terms depend on the provider and the amount financed, and are set out in writing before you commit — ask what the deposit and the establishment fee are, in dollars, and what the total will be by the end. Payment Plans.

Common questions

How do I actually check a practitioner on the register, and what does it not tell me?

The register is public and free. Search by name on AHPRA's register of practitioners: the Dental Board describes it as an online register of all dental practitioners which "also includes details of the specialty or specialties for dentists who hold specialist registration". What you are looking for is the person's name, that they hold current registration in the dentist division, and any specialty recorded against it. Registration can also be checked by phoning 1300 419 495.

Two details are worth understanding. First, registration comes in types — general, specialist and limited — and separate categories exist for dental hygienists, dental therapists and oral health therapists, who work within their own defined scope. Second, the Board may impose conditions on a practitioner's registration, and any such conditions appear on the register; a listing with conditions is not the same as a clear one, so read the entry rather than just confirming a name is present.

What the register does not do is rate anyone. It will not tell you which laboratory makes a practice's crowns, what materials are used, how many of a particular procedure someone has done, or what an overseas title amounts to. It answers one question well — is this person lawfully registered to do this here, and under what conditions — which is exactly the question that has no equivalent answer for a clinic in another jurisdiction.

An overseas clinic advertises "cosmetic dentistry specialists" and "smile design specialists". Does that mean anything?

Not in the Australian sense, and this is the single most common source of confusion. Neither cosmetic dentistry nor smile design appears on the Dental Board's list of the 13 approved dental specialties set out above. In Australia the specialist titles are protected: they may only be used by a dentist who holds specialist registration in that field, which requires the specialty qualification, general registration, and "a minimum of two years general dental practice" beforehand.

Abroad, the word may be unregulated, promotional, or may describe a real qualification that simply has no Australian counterpart. You cannot tell from the website which of those it is. The practical translation is that a title on an overseas clinic's page is a marketing claim until somebody independent has checked it, and there is no register you can check it on.

The same logic applies to the reviews beside it. As set out above, the clinical success stories an overseas site leads with are the exact category Australian law will not allow a practice here to publish — not because the treatment is worse, but because that kind of evidence was judged too unreliable to advertise on.

I have already had treatment overseas and something has gone wrong. What should I do?

Start by getting it assessed properly rather than by deciding in advance what has failed. That usually means a full examination with radiographs, because the problem is often not where the symptom is, and because nobody here has a baseline to compare against.

Three things are worth chasing in parallel:

If pain, swelling or fever is involved, that is not a second-opinion question — see emergency dentistry and the red flags in how can I relieve a toothache?. Otherwise, second opinions and corrective dentistry is the route, and Turkey teeth: the real risks of getting veneers overseas sets out what most commonly needs doing.

Is there any public help with dental costs in Australia?

For children, yes, and it is significantly under-claimed. The Child Dental Benefit Schedule, administered by Services Australia, covers up to $1,158 for each eligible child over two consecutive calendar years for basic dental services. The cap is indexed each 1 January. A child qualifies if they are 0 to 17 years old for at least one day in that calendar year, are eligible for Medicare, and are getting a payment from Services Australia at least once a year — or have a parent, carer or guardian who is.

The full amount can be used in the first calendar year, which leaves nothing for the second; anything unused carries into the second year provided the child is still eligible. Eligibility is reassessed each year, so a family that was not eligible last year may be this year. How does the Child Dental Benefits Schedule operate? and the Child Dental Benefit Schedule page set out how it is claimed.

For adults the position is different, and the answer depends on your private cover and on what your state's public dental service offers — which is why getting an itemised Australian quote, and checking it against your fund's annual limits, is the comparison worth doing before a flight is booked rather than after.

Related reading

Practical details

Written by Dr Silvia Ciach.

Smile Solutions, Level 1, 220 Collins Street, Manchester Unity Building, Melbourne VIC 3000 — getting here. Phone 13 13 96, contact us, or theteam@smilesolutions.com.au. Monday–Friday 8.00am–6.00pm, Saturday 8.30am–1.30pm, Sunday by appointment.

Specialist registration can be verified on the AHPRA register, or by calling 1300 419 495.

Published 29 October 2013. Standards and individual practitioners vary considerably; this is general information and not a comment on any particular country or clinic. Registration requirements, advertising law and penalties are summarised from Dental Board of Australia and AHPRA material current at the time of writing and change over time; check the current position directly. Child Dental Benefit Schedule figures and eligibility rules are those published by Services Australia and are indexed and amended over time; confirm the current position with Services Australia. Insurance and regulatory arrangements change — confirm current terms with your fund. Payment plan terms are set by the credit provider and change; confirm current terms directly before you commit. General information only; it does not replace advice from your treating practitioner.

Smile Solutions trades under ABN 28 193 514 103.

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