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Global healthcare enables patients to choose where they want their treatment and at what price. Treatment for life threatening diseases like cancer and open heart surgery can be found globally to prices low as 80 % of what is charged in their home country. Such health care can be combined with vacations and the designation «medical tourists» is often used. Dental treatment like oral surgery, implant, periodontology and cosmetic dentistry, can often be done at prices substantial lower than in their country of origin. But can this be carried out without consequences? First of all, local patients should not be deprived of health care due to the fact that medical tourists can pay more, the medical services should be of similar quality as in their home country. The increasing level of antibiotic resistance in bacteria is a major concern world-wide. Our capability to efficiently treat some infections with antibiotics is being reduced, year by year. The Nordic countries has for many years controlled arriving patients and health care works for carrier state of specific resistant bacteria when arriving from other international hospitals. Therefore, it is important that patients seeking dental treatment outside the Nordic countries are aware of the possible danger and consequences of becoming infected or colonized by antimicrobial resistant superbugs. The Nordic countries will also in the future seek to have similar strategy combatting the increase of life threatening antibiotic resistant bacteria.

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