The effect of perceived oral and dental health services quality on health tourism potential: A research on dentists in Samsun province

In this research, the effect of perceived oral and dental health services quality of Samsun province on health tourism potential was examined. The current oral and dental health services quality of Samsun was evaluated by conducting a survey with dentists throughout Samsun province and its districts, and it was tested whether there is a health tourism potential. It is another situation that is tested whether there are differences according to demographic characteristics in the evaluations of the perceived health services quality and health tourism potential of dentists. The research consists of two parts. In the first part, there is the application part where the data obtained is analyzed, in the second part there is the concept of health tourism, types of health tourism and dental tourism. The research was conducted by conducting a survey to 255 dentists between January 24 and April 1, 2023. The findings obtained were analyzed in the SPSS 22.0 program. When the results of the study were examined, it was determined that the quality of oral and dental health services perceived by the dentists affected the health tourism potential of Samsun province. It has been determined that there is a significant and positive relationship between the perceived quality of oral and dental health services and the health tourism potential of Samsun, and it has been determined that health tourism activities will accelerate if the quality of oral and dental health services increases further. According to the results of the study, it has been stated that the physical infrastructure of the hospitals with the health tourism authorization certificate is quite sufficient in certain branches. However, it has been determined that there are deficiencies in some areas such as readiness for health tourism, complementary factors, personnel training, promotion and marketing. In addition, it has been stated that international dental treatments have relative advantages in areas such as trust, price, language proficiency and expertise compared to other private clinics. Keywords: Perceived Healthcare Quality, Health Tourism Potential, Dentists, Samsun.