TheJakartaPost
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Bali a dental paradise for tourists
Tourists are flocking to Bali not solely for leisure pursuits but also to make the most of the island's affordable dental treatment.
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Pradnya Dira Rata, a dentist at ARC Dental Clinic in Kuta, Bali, poses with a model for an undated brochure photo. (ARC Dental Clinic/Supplied by ARC Dental Clinic )
D
entists are at the forefront of Indonesia's effort to turn Bali into a global hub for health travel, with a growing number of patients from Australia and elsewhere visiting the island for affordable dental treatment.
Wayan Pradnya Dira Rata, one of six dentists at ARC Dental Clinic in Kuta, said the number of tourists seeking dental treatment in Bali had increased significantly over the past few years.
He attributed the influx of tourist-patients to a variety of factors, most importantly, perhaps, that dental treatment in Bali is significantly cheaper than in many of the arrivals’ home countries, especially when it comes to some premium or nonessential procedures, including veneers and dental crowns.
A survey conducted by scientific journal NeuroQuantology revealed that dental tourists in Bali prioritized three factors: availability of information, quality of services and cost of treatment. The quality of the service, in the eyes of many respondents, encompasses exceptional dental care, state-of-the-art equipment, accreditation of dental clinics and the presence of skilled dentists.
“They are starting to visit a lot for dental treatment. Typically, they seek an additional perspective, or second opinion. They first consult [dentists] in their own country,” Dira told The Jakarta Post on Thursday, adding that most dental treatments in Indonesia cost 50 percent less than in the tourists’ home countries.
“They then approach us to match the care [with the results of the consultation in both countries]. Most of them feel comfortable [getting their treatment here], because the treatment recommendations from the dentist they see here are the same. Trust builds, thus, [recommendations] begin by word of mouth,” he said, adding that the clinic's increased visibility on search engines over the past few years had helped the clinic’s standing in the market.
Run by Australian-owned PT Indo Arc, ARC Dental Clinic is located on Sunset Road in the same building as ARC Anti-aging Beauty Clinic, according to the website.
