#36

Demand for denturists' services

As indicated above, about half of canada are provided by denturists.the dentures -attained in Lower price and greater accessibility, I.e., proximity and shorter waiting times for appointments, will likely account for the majority of the observed demand fox denturists' services. However, these factors do not account for some significant portion o! the denturists' patronage. It would therefore seem that satisfaction with the service received also plays an important role. Satisfaction is also evidenced by a lack of complaints to welfare agencies and insurance companies financing these services. It has been shown that denturists' prices are substantially below the fees charged by dentists for similar services. Although the price disparity could be somewhat reduced by the price of an oral examination in those provinces which require such exam, these are most frequently provided by physicians and are covered by Canada's health insurance program . Some dental insurance plans, however, offer substantial incentives to patronize denturists. At east one plan will pay 100% the cost of a denturists' services; but only 75% of the cost of dentures provided by a dentist Accessibility is likely to be another reason why consumers patronize denturists. Denturists are somewhat better distributed than dentists. and some may be In closer proximity to populations requiring service. Also. dentist-population ratios in Canada are relatively low compared to the United States, and it has been reported that waiting times for appointments may be substantially longer than for denturists, particularly in less densely populated areas.