The effects of denturism: New Zealand dentists' response to competition.

The New Zealand Dental Act of 1988 allowed clinical dental technicians to deal directly with the public in fitting and supplying dentures. This study tested the hypothesis that dentists responded to competition from dental technicians by lowering their fees. The results indicate that there was no significant change in the fees charged by dentists for dentures. The apparent failure of deregulation to produce the expected outcome could be due to the competitive pressure imposed by dental technicians practicing illegally prior to 1988, to consumers' lack of information, or to barriers to "consumer search" imposed by the act itself.