Welcome to today’s episode of the Iranian Market. In a couple of weeks, we discussed the successful industry of health tourism in the Islamic Republic of Iran. This week, we’re going to discuss Iran’s achievements in the field of dentistry as a branch of medicine within the framework of health tourism.

For a long period of time, visiting a dentist was considered as an unpleasant job or even a nightmare for many people because of the pain to be endured during their treatment. This fear and worry about visiting a dentist has diminished dramatically thanks to the development of science and technology. This technological development in the field of oral hygiene has relieved the patients as it has changed the methods of dentistry. As you know oral care is one of the most expensive branches of medical treatment in the world. This care becomes more important when it relates to the cardiac, kidney and digestive organs. This is evident for example when the oral infection spreads to the other body organs.

The bacterial infection from a tooth abscess can be very dangerous if it spreads to the jaw, neck, or brain, or if you develop sepsis. If the infection spreads, the patient may also develop a fever and feel generally unwell. In severe cases, it may feel hard to fully open the mouth and may even have difficulty in swallowing or breathing.

Now the question that comes to mind is: What is the definition of oral hygiene? In the past, this definition was confined to the well-being of the teeth. However, today it has changed based on the values, concepts, expectations, and views of the world people. Nowadays, the health and hygiene of the teeth and gum are evaluated by different factors that, according to the quality of today’s life, are considered as a necessity. These factors are affected by people’s psychological, social and physiological features.

World Dental Federation (FDI) in its edition of 2020 perspective has recognized dental care and hygiene as a basic right for mankind. Based on this perspective, without doubt, one of the major factors in oral hygiene is disease, the state of the disease, the level of its development and finally the pain and suffering. So from the point of view of social relationships and psychological factors, this body part becomes more important when you speak, smile, or chew.

Dental tourism or dental vacation is a subcategory of medical tourism whereby tourists look for a destination for treatment that enjoys a high quality and is rather cheap.

Today dental tourism is common in developing countries.

The most important reason for a tourist to look for treatment in other countries is the high cost of dentistry in his own country. For example, in the US, tens of millions of Americans are deprived of dentistry insurance; hence they have to make foreign trips to reduce their treatment costs.

It is quite clear that the beauty of teeth is effective in the quality of life. A beautiful smile will surely affect social conditions. A good dentist is the one who is aware of technological developments of the day and is able to use all those technologies.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has professional dentists as well as well-equipped clinics and medical centers. That is why the Islamic Republic has become one of the destinations for medical tourists. Iran has developed dramatically in the field of dentistry materials, instruments and methods.

CAD/CAM (computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing) dentistry to improve the design and creation of dental restorations, especially dental prostheses, is the newest technology in the world that Iran possesses.

There are local producers who have been active in manufacturing dental chair and dental units for decades.

Currently, there are 30 thousand dentists in Iran who are active in different branches. Moreover, there are 16 dentistry schools working under the supervision of the Ministry of Health and offer 11 specialized majors in Iran.

Having professional dentists and modern medical dentistry centers, as well as reasonable medical prices have made Iran a great destination for oral care.

Iranian cities of Tehran, Isfahan, and Mashhad have a high potential for attracting dentistry tourists.

Iranian dentistry centers are comparable with those of the most advanced countries. From among these centers mention can be made of the

Sustainable Tourism Development Institute of Science which is an Iranian Consultative Facilitator for medical trips, with the expertise and commitment necessary to take into account the principles of planning and coordinating travel plans.

AE/RM/SS