Methodology: China Dental Price Index

This is version 0.1 of the methodology. Every change to it is listed under Versions, and every data page states the methodology version its figures use.

What we measure

We measure what foreign patients are charged for five common dental treatments in China, and how long they need to stay. Each treatment has a fixed definition of what the price includes, shown in the table on this page. A quote that leaves out an item in the definition (for example, a crown on an implant) is recorded as given and flagged, not adjusted.

For implants we record the implant system tier separately, because it is the biggest driver of price:

• budget: Chinese or Korean systems (for example Osstem, Dentium, MegaGen);
• premium: Straumann and Nobel Biocare;
• mid: other imported systems;
• system not stated: the quote did not name the system.

Sample

The first edition samples about 20 providers in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, plus three clinics outside those cities that foreign patients already travel to. Providers fall into three groups:

• public hospitals: public dental hospitals and public hospital dental departments;
• private clinics: dental chains and independent clinics;
• international departments and hospitals: international or VIP departments of public hospitals, and private international hospitals.

The sample is chosen to cover the kinds of provider foreign patients use. It is not a random sample of all dental providers in China, and the figures should not be read as national averages.

Where prices come from

Every price is stored with its source, the date we observed it and the date we last verified it. Sources, from strongest to weakest:

1. Official documents: government price caps and procurement results, archived with a checksum.
2. Published prices: price lists on a provider's own website, WeChat account or mini-programme, and prices displayed on Meituan, Dianping or JD Health. We record the price and a screenshot only; we do not copy reviews or crawl these platforms in bulk.
3. Enquiries: we ask providers by WeChat, email or phone. We always say who we are (Travel Labs, a research organisation in the Netherlands) and that results will be published as price ranges. We never pose as patients. Providers may quote researchers differently from patients, so these prices are labelled as researcher enquiries.
4. Provider submissions: prices that providers send us with evidence. They are checked and labelled as provider-reported. We do not take submissions yet, so no figure on this site comes from one.
5. Patient quotes: quotes that patients share with us anonymously. Each is reviewed before use and labelled as patient-reported. We do not collect patient quotes yet, so no figure on this site comes from one.

Each price also carries an evidence level:

Level	Meaning
A	A published document or price list, archived
B	A written reply from the provider (WeChat or email), archived
C	A verbal answer (phone), or a submission we could not fully confirm

How the index is calculated

• A price quoted as a range counts at its midpoint; a single price counts as given.
• Only prices verified in the last 90 days count towards the index. Older prices are shown greyed out as possibly out of date and are left out of every median.
• For each treatment (and implant tier) we publish the median and the lowest and highest price: for all providers, by provider group, by city, and by city and group.
• A median or range is published only when it rests on at least two different providers. Smaller cells show the number of prices only.
• Prices are not weighted. Each provider counts once per treatment and tier, using its most recent price.
• Each figure shows how many providers and prices it is based on and the date range in which they were verified.

Official price caps

Since 2022 China has capped the medical-service fee for a standard single implant at public hospitals. Each province publishes its own target, often with lower tiers for smaller hospitals and higher ceilings for some cities or national centres. These caps:

• cover the medical-service fee only (consultation, imaging, implant placement, crown placement, and similar items);
• exclude the implant system and the crown, which are bought under national volume-based procurement and charged separately;
• apply to public hospitals, and to private clinics only if they have committed to the targets or are designated providers in the public medical-insurance system.

For each province we show one headline figure: the target for tertiary public hospitals or, where a province sets no separate tertiary target, its general target. The full set of tiers is in the caps table. Each figure is labelled by evidence: the official document itself, an official document whose figures we could only read in a government-site reprint, or a secondary report.

Currencies

Prices are recorded in the currency quoted, usually Chinese yuan (CNY). Conversions use the European Central Bank's reference rates, plus Vietcombank's transfer rate for the Vietnamese dong (VND), which the ECB does not publish. Every page shows the rate date. Converted amounts are rounded and approximate; your bank's rate will differ.

Comparisons with other countries

Prices for Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Thailand and Turkey come from providers' public price pages, each with its source, the date we saw it and a saved copy of the page. We do not enquire with providers in those countries, so these figures are less thoroughly verified than the China data. The rules above (midpoints, two providers, 90 days) apply, plus these:

• Each country's figures are in its own currency. A price quoted in another currency (for example pounds in Turkey) is converted at the latest ECB rates, plus the Vietcombank transfer rate for VND, before the median is taken. A figure is published only if every price in it can be converted.
• A price counts only if it is for the unit in our definition: one tooth, one arch for All-on-4, and one visit (the whole mouth) for a cleaning. A cleaning priced per jaw, for example, is kept as recorded but not counted.
• A single-implant or All-on-4 price counts only if it states that the crown (for All-on-4, the final fixed bridge) is included. Prices that leave it out, or do not say, are kept as recorded but not counted.
• Official fee tariffs and fee-survey averages are kept for reference but not counted: they are not prices from a provider.

How often we update

• Official documents: checked automatically on a daily rotation; changes are confirmed by a person before they are published.
• Published prices: refreshed monthly.
• Enquiries: one round per quarter, covering about half of the providers each time.
• Index editions: quarterly.

The automatic checks start after launch. Until then, a person checks the official documents before each update of the site.

Limitations

• Samples are small. Medians from two or three providers can move a lot when one price changes.
• Prices quoted to researchers may differ from prices quoted to patients. We will compare the two once we collect patient quotes.
• Promotions, package deals and exchange rates change.
• What a price includes varies between providers even within our definitions; check every inclusion with the provider.
• These figures are not medical advice and not a recommendation of any provider.

Corrections

If you think a figure is wrong, tell us (see Corrections). We check every report, and every correction is logged publicly with its date.

Versions

Version	Date	Change
0.1	2026-11-01	First version. The rules for comparisons with other countries were added on 2026-11-10, before publication.