Dental tourism safety checklist

The pre-booking phase is where safety is actually built or lost.

• Confirm the dentist's license number and license status through the appropriate national or state board (in Mexico: the cédula profesional at the SEP registry; in the US: your state dental board).
• Confirm specialty credentials separately when a specialist procedure is planned (oral surgery, prosthodontics, periodontics, endodontics). General dentists can perform many procedures, but the specialty designation is a specific credential.
• Ask for the specific clinician who will perform each step of the treatment — surgery, prosthetics, sedation — in writing.
• Request the facility's accreditation status if the clinic advertises one (JCI, GHA, ISO, national health authority). Verify on the accrediting body's public registry, not a screenshot.
• Request a written, itemized treatment plan with codes before you commit.
• Confirm what the fee includes: imaging, extractions, grafting, temporaries, final prosthetics, adjustments, and follow-up visits.
• Ask what happens — clinically and financially — if a complication requires an unplanned procedure.
• Ask whether records (radiographs, CBCT, digital scans, lab prescriptions) will be provided to you in a portable format.

For patients considering treatment outside their home country, add these steps.

• Confirm the facility's sterilization protocol in plain language — autoclave with biological (spore) test logs available for review.
• Confirm the surgeon's professional liability insurance status.
• Confirm the clinic's protocol for medical emergencies (ACLS-certified staff, defibrillator, transport agreement with a nearby hospital).
• If sedation is planned, confirm the anesthesia provider's credential (anesthesiologist, DA-certified dentist, etc.) in writing.
• Understand the recourse pathway in the destination country — professional board complaints, civil liability, and consumer protection.
• Arrange travel medical insurance that covers dental complications abroad.
• Book departure at least 2–3 days after final surgical appointment to allow post-op review.
• Notify your home-country primary dentist of the planned treatment and arrange follow-up care in advance.

Small verifications during check-in and appointments have outsized safety value.

• Verify the identity of the clinician performing each step matches what was quoted.
• For surgery, confirm laterality and site (which tooth, which arch) verbally with the clinician before the first incision.
• Confirm that current, high-quality imaging is in front of the surgical team.
• Confirm the implant system, abutment platform, and prosthetic components being used — write down brand and reference numbers.
• For sedation, confirm the monitoring being used (pulse oximetry, capnography, blood pressure, ECG as appropriate) and who is monitoring you.
• Do not sign new consent forms in the operatory chair. If a change to the plan is proposed on the day, ask to sit up and discuss.

Discharge paperwork is what supports safe follow-up at home.

• Take home a written post-operative instruction sheet in your language.
• Take home a list of medications prescribed, doses, and duration.
• Take home a written summary of what was done (procedure codes, implant reference numbers, batch/lot numbers where applicable).
• Copies of the day's clinical notes, radiographs, and any intraoral scans on portable media.
• A named contact for after-hours complications, with country code included.
• A scheduled follow-up appointment or virtual check-in.

Following up at home is not optional — it is what preserves the outcome.

• Schedule an in-person follow-up with a licensed dentist near you within 2–4 weeks.
• Provide your local dentist with the written records and imaging you brought home.
• Keep an ongoing recall schedule (typically every 6 months) — implant maintenance is not a one-time event.
• Report any pain, swelling, discharge, bleeding, mobility, or change in bite promptly. Do not wait to 'see if it settles.'
• Save the surgical site brand/reference/lot numbers with your medical records. They matter for lifetime maintenance and complication management.