According to a survey carried out by Ifop and published on the site Dentaly, the French have difficulty accessing dental care. The reason ? Their cost. During his electoral campaign, Emmanuel Macron had yet announced full coverage of crowns and dental prostheses by social security and mutuals. The French remain skeptical. Carried out on a sample of more than 1000 French people, the study reveals that access to this type of care has deteriorated over the past five years.
Too expensive dental care
Barely more than one in two French people visit their dentist once a year, a drop of 4 points in five years. On the contrary, more and more French people testify not to have been there for at least two years: 25% of the subjects of the study currently, against 15% in 2013.
The reasons for this drop in dentist attendance in France? The budget, first of all. 45% of people questioned explain that they cannot afford it. Five years ago, only 35% raised the issue of financial resources.
The problem is not so much the cost of the basic consultation, which still discourages 22% of the people in the survey. The real brake on dental care is due to the cost of prostheses: the study reveals that more than one in three French people are unable to afford the treatment. Moreover, this type of care is currently the least well reimbursed in the sector for 73% of French people.
Too many waiting times
To these factors, we must add very long appointment times which discourage 31% of French people. Between 2014 and 2018, the average wait time for a dentist appointment fell from 27 to 40 days.
If an agreement has recently been reached between the social partners on the subject, the majority of people questioned fear that the cap on fees for the fitting of prostheses and crowns will cause a drop in the quality of care.
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