tistry has improved. Like everything in China, you can get more dental work done for your dollar, but a patient may have to be careful about selecting a dental office in China depending on their expectations. You can find good dentists and good clin- ics if you look hard enough. This means the burden is on the consumer to deter- mine the safety and quality of the dentist they choose to see, not on an insurance company or state licensing board.


China also doesn’t seem to have as much regulation on dentistry compared to the U.S. I wonder how often they spore test their autoclaves? The central government spent 132.25 million Yuan on improving Chinese citizens’ oral health between 2008 and 2012. That is $20.88 million,³ which seems small to me. I think our government spends more than that every year for fewer people. Chinese government spending has not been the overall cause of the improve- ment in quality and quantity of Chinese dental work. The improvement in the overall economy of the country itself, and the improved education and standards of their citizens have been the cause.


Here in the U.S., it seems insurance companies and/or the government are the forces behind market change in dentistry.


We may be able to learn something from Chinese dentistry. Perhaps access to a superior and safer dental market cannot be mandated by a government. Perhaps edu- cated citizens or consumers are the force behind healthy dental market change. f


CONTACT DR. NAIL at editorial@modental.org with comments or questions on this editorial or other Focus articles and topics.


REFERENCES


1. Gongloff M. “China’s Economy Just Overtook the U.S. In One Key Measure.” The Huffington Post. 11-05-14. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/08/china-gdp- tops-us_n_5951374.html


2. “Finding a China Dentist.” Dental Tourism Expert. 2014. http://dentaltourismexpert.com/china-dentist.html


3. Yang F. “Nearly 120,000 dentists in China: official.” English News Cn. 9-11-12. http://news.xinhuanet.com/ english/china/2012-09/11/c_131843520.htm


4. “Going to the Dentist in Shanghai.” Sinosplice.


5. “Dentistry in the United States.” Wikipedia. 8-08-14. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dentistry_in_the_United_ States


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