Rising prices force Danes to postpone dental appointments
Danes are prioritising food and heating over dental care, according to a new survey of dentists in Denmark.
Seven out of ten dentists believe that patients are postponing or cancelling their dental appointments more often than usual, according to a new survey carried out by the Dental Association among 622 dental clinics throughout the country.
Furthermore, approximately 90 percent of dentists who participated in the poll believe inflation is to blame.
A high number of cancelled appointments
The dental clinic Holmberg in Vordingborg is particularly affected by the cancellations, clinic manager Lone Hansen noted.
"We have more cancellations now than we have had before. Normally we're fully booked in December, but now we get cancellations every single day," she added.
Hansen believes that a large proportion of patients are cancelling this year because they cannot afford dental care.
"We hear from patients who call and say that they have to postpone their appointment because they have received a high gas or electricity bill that they did not expect," she accentuated.
"Deeply worrying"
Susanne Kleist of the Danish Dental Association thinks it's frightening that Danes cannot maintain the regularity of appointments that is important for good dental health.
"It is deeply worrying for our health that people are opting out of regular check-ups because of their personal finances," she said.
"We have never seen anything so extreme. Not even during corona or other crises…
"Patients run the risk of having to treat a problem that could have been prevented. They're simply worse off as patients," Kleist told DR.
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Seven out of ten dentists believe that patients are postponing or cancelling their dental appointments more often than usual, according to a new survey carried out by the Dental Association among 622 dental clinics throughout the country.
Furthermore, approximately 90 percent of dentists who participated in the poll believe inflation is to blame.
A high number of cancelled appointments
The dental clinic Holmberg in Vordingborg is particularly affected by the cancellations, clinic manager Lone Hansen noted.
"We have more cancellations now than we have had before. Normally we're fully booked in December, but now we get cancellations every single day," she added.
Hansen believes that a large proportion of patients are cancelling this year because they cannot afford dental care.
"We hear from patients who call and say that they have to postpone their appointment because they have received a high gas or electricity bill that they did not expect," she accentuated.
"Deeply worrying"
Susanne Kleist of the Danish Dental Association thinks it's frightening that Danes cannot maintain the regularity of appointments that is important for good dental health.
"It is deeply worrying for our health that people are opting out of regular check-ups because of their personal finances," she said.
"We have never seen anything so extreme. Not even during corona or other crises…
"Patients run the risk of having to treat a problem that could have been prevented. They're simply worse off as patients," Kleist told DR.
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