Inflatable Dental Surgery to Tour Britain

An inflatable dental surgery staffed by Hungarian dentists is to offer treatment around Britain from tomorrow.

The ?25,000 mobile surgery will provide consultations and X-rays to patients in London, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow.

The promotional tour is intended to drum up business for dental tourism in Hungary, which, along with other east European countries, has become a popular destination for Britons seeking cheaper treatment.

Major dental work, such as dental implants, costs on average ?700 in Hungary - between half and one third of the price in the UK.

The company behind the inflatable dental surgery is Hungarian Dental Travel, which arranges travel for Britons wishing to go to Hungary for treatment.

Cecilia Varga, the company's marketing director, said the tour was in response to the growing demand for consultations in the UK as well as overseas treatment.

Varga said each city in the tour would have its own Hungarian dentist, and that the scheme would likely be extended to include Birmingham. "They will be going back to the UK every four to six weeks, so if the patient needs any kind of aftercare or a check-up the dentist will be there."

All the dentists were experienced Hungarian-trained dental surgeons and qualified with the British Dental Council, she added.

The service comes amid continuing concerns over the difficulties patients face getting access to dental care in the UK. Figures published last month showed more than 1m fewer patients in England were able to access NHS dentistry since the introduction of a new contract for dentists in April 2006.

Varga said the company was interested in extending its services to provide NHS dental work, but that it had come under criticism from British dentists.

"NHS doctors say that using foreign dentists is not the solution to the problems affecting dentistry in this country. I would agree, but there are a lot of people out there needing treatment right now with no other option."