Patients in France putting off dental treatment due to high costs
Figures released by the Cour des Comptes audit body have revealed that millions of people are avoiding having dental care because of rising costs.
According to the report, one in seven patients cancelled a dental appointment because they couldn’t afford dental treatment. The figures showed that 63 percent of all the health appointments cancelled in 2006 were dental appointments.
The study blamed rising costs for the high number of people cancelling dental appointments, with many people unable to afford the cost of dental care as well as other outgoings, including rent or mortgage payments, bills and food.
State support for those on a low income and vulnerable groups has also been reduced; the state now pays for a third of the cost of dental treatment in the country, in contrast to 1980 when it paid for half of the cost.
The auditors claimed that dentists were making huge profits, especially from prosthetic treatments, including crowns, dentures and bridges; often, dentists charge premium rates for these treatments even though they buy them in for a relatively low cost. A crown costs a patient between 250 and 700 Euros but the dentist buys the crown for between 70 and 150 Euros; this adds up to a huge annual profit for dentists.
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