The grass is greener: Under increasing economic pressure, Hong Kong residents seek dental care elsewhere

As the wider Chinese population has gained increasing awareness about the importance of oral health in recent years, the domestic dental industry has rapidly expanded to meet increased demand. Consequently, a range of well-equipped and affordable dental clinics and hospitals have sprung up across China, especially in Shenzhen. Citing a report by the Chinese Stomatological Association, a local Shenzhen dental laboratory has explained how the city is also a centrally important manufacturing hub for the global denture market, up to 60% of domestic production for export being situated in the area. These factors have combined to make Shenzhen a highly important centre of the dental world and, for Hong Kong residents, an easy choice, being only 30 kilometres from Hong Kong, for obtaining dental care at a reasonable price.

The number of Hong Kong residents seeking care in Shenzhen is significant. For example, the South China Morning Post reported that Hong Kong residents last year accounted for around 10,000 visits a month to C-MER Eye Care Holdings’ dental hospital and 12 dental clinics in Shenzhen, comprising around 50% of its overall client intake. The same article explored the financial considerations of the Hong Kong residents undertaking these dental trips. One elderly woman described how a treatment for which she would have had to have waited three weeks and that would have cost HK$8,000 (€943)* was performed immediately in a Shenzhen hospital without an appointment for 1,000 yuan (€127). In light of such significant differences in cost, accessibility and efficiency, Hong Kong residents travelling to mainland Chinese cities for dental care is entirely understandable and trend that is therefore likely to continue in years to come.

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