Virtually unknown until just a few years ago, the terms ‘medical tourism’ and ‘dental tourism’ are rapidly becoming familiar to most households in many first-world countries. This describes the increasingly popular practice of travelling to another country to obtain health care. According to the National Coalition on Health Care (U.S.), more than 500,000 Americans traveled abroad to receive medical and dental treatment in 2006. Each year, millions of patients around the world flock to destinations for 5 stars health care at incredible prices. According to the Private Hospitals Association of Jordan, 250 000 foreign patients from 84 different nationalities were treated in 2007 in Jordan. Medical and dental tourists visiting Jordan increased by 10% per year for the last 3 years.

Factors that have contributed to the growth of dental tourism include: 

In Jordan you can find high-quality, cutting-edge health care service industry, with many doctors trained overseas. Dental facilities have been built that match or even surpass in quality some “western” hospitals and health centers; and all this comes at a cost often several times lower than the typical “western” cost of dental treatment; 

On the demand side, patients from industrialized countries often face long waiting lists and high treatment costs. Aging population their needs increasingly more health care, and increased life expectation has added to the demand for dental care.

The main point is that the quality of dental treatment in Jordan is not only comparable to, but in some case more advanced than, what is on offer in some industrialized countries. This is due to the fact that most facilities have been built only in recent years, and that governments and private sector have invested heavily in both hardware and health education and training.

Yet another point not to be ignored is the cost of treatment. Depending on the procedure, the cost in Jordan for most dental treatments can be 4-6 times lower than in West Europe, North America or Australia. These lower costs can be achieved mostly through lower cost of setting a practice, cheaper specialized education and training, lower cost of construction and real estate, and, crucially, Tax-free medical services. Rather than undergo a prolonged treatment in your country for which you pay a small (and sometimes not so small) fortune, why not save some of the cost and still be able to pay not only for the treatment but also for a week or two of an amazing vacation for yourself and your family. Indeed, just coming to visit the world’s natural wonders in Jordan is enough to do that.