Costly dental procedures become painful for citizens

Bengaluru: Would you like the government to consider capping the price of dental procedures such as root canal treatments?

If you do, you are with over 1,300 city residents who think the idea is great because it would make dental procedures more affordable.

A recent nationwide survey by LocalCircles has looked at the soaring costs of dental procedures.

Interestingly, 6,013 responses were recorded from Bengaluru. Twenty-one percent of 2,011 respondents said that their dentists charged them over Rs 3,000 per filling in the recent past, while 64 per cent said they paid between Rs 1,500 and Rs 3,000.

Similarly, out of 2,024 respondents, nearly 40 per cent said their or their family members' most recent root canal treatment cost over Rs 10,000 within the past three years.

At least 1,324 out of 1,977 people believed that the government must intervene to cap these costs.

Dentists in the city, however, explained why it is impractical to cap prices, given the variations in procedure costs due to materials used, complications, and expertise.

While there are dentists who can conduct these procedures at nominal prices, their quality might be questionable, observed Dr Manoj George Eapen, who runs a private practice in Hennur.

"Capping rates might be counter-productive, as dentists might avoid using the best materials to cut costs and, thus, compromise on quality," he said.

Costs could also fluctuate because dentists might detect additional issues in the teeth during a procedure, which would be better to address before they become bigger problems.

Dr Deepak V, director of a specialist dental clinic in Banashankari 3rd Stage, explained that the Indian Dental Association has set Rs 5,000 as a minimum for a root canal treatment, subject to variation.

Prof Dr Adarsh MS, who also runs a clinic in Chamrajpet, noted that the rents and taxes in Bengaluru are much higher than in other cities. He also noted that materials can be as cheap as Rs 100, and some instruments can cost as little as Rs 600. "Standard quality materials and tools require a few thousand rupees each. Root canal treatments, specifically, cannot be done below Rs 4,000," he explained.

"Let the government cap the cost of dental materials so that quality materials are more affordable and safer in the long run. The China market is way cheaper, but we don't know if they are biocompatible. Quality products will naturally incur costs," said Dr Deepak.

Check your oral health 

Dentists highlighted systemic health risks linked to oral health and how addressing oral health issues early can reduce subsequent dental care costs.

A person with gum disease, for example, faces a significant risk of developing cardiac issues.

"Neglect and procrastination are expensive, not dental care. A routine check-up, once in six months, unlike in the West, is not common in India, and people don't usually approach dentists unless there is pain," they observed.

They advocate for dental check-ups to become part of government health camps and dental treatments to be insured, besides employing more dentists in government health establishments, which will encourage more people to get their oral health checked.