As to a recent study performed by the community social media site LocalCircles, 75 percent of the respondents said the customers want their dentists to mandatorily post rates for basic operations like root canals or filings.
Customers urge the government to demand publicly posting pricing lists for routinely availed services. A recent study suggests price disparity is a big factor in why many individuals postpone seeing their dentist.
According to a poll performed by the community social media site LocalCircles, 3 in 4 people questioned want dentists to mandatorily post rates for popular procedures. 25 percent of respondents indicated they felt their dentists already openly announced rates upfront.
On the issue of inconvenience that dentists will have to face due to the display of prices, the survey says, “While this(displaying prices) may seem uncomfortable to many dentists, it would surely increase consumers’ confidence and encourage more Indians to avail of dental treatment on a preventive basis rather than when they are in pain, which in most cases is too late“.
The study also revealed large disparities in pricing for popular procedures including root canals and filings. For example, the cost of a file varied from ₹100 to ₹5,000, while the cost of a root canal ranged from ₹500 to ₹15,000. 33 percent of respondents said they paid more than ₹3,000 for a filing and more than ₹10,000 for a root canal.
The poll findings indicated that more individuals are likely to take care of their dental health on a preventative basis if treatment charges are clear and uniform. It also found that there is a need for more ‘transparency on the side of dentists, whether working out of their clinics or hospitals.
Over 36,000 individuals from 317 districts in India participated in the survey, with 41% of respondents from tier 1 cities, 33% from tier 2 cities, and 26% from rural areas and tier 3 and 4 cities.
