<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<doi_batch version="5.4.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns="http://www.crossref.org/schema/5.4.0" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.crossref.org/schema/5.4.0 https://www.crossref.org/schemas/crossref5.4.0.xsd" xmlns:jats="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/JATS1" xmlns:fr="http://www.crossref.org/fundref.xsd" xmlns:ai="http://www.crossref.org/AccessIndicators.xsd" xmlns:rel="http://www.crossref.org/relations.xsd" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML">
  <head>
    <doi_batch_id>NONE</doi_batch_id>
    <timestamp>20260105091513092</timestamp>
    <depositor>
      <depositor_name>wseas/wseas</depositor_name>
      <email_address>content-registration-form+ja@crossref.org</email_address>
    </depositor>
    <registrant>content-registration-form</registrant>
  </head>
  <body>
    <journal>
      <journal_metadata>
        <full_title>WSEAS TRANSACTIONS ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS</full_title>
        <issn media_type="print">1109-9526</issn>
        <issn media_type="electronic">2224-2899</issn>
      </journal_metadata>
      <journal_article>
        <titles>
          <title>Evaluation of the Quality of Dental Tourism in Tirana using Fuzzy CRITIC and CoCoSo Methods</title>
        </titles>
        <contributors>
          <person_name sequence="first" contributor_role="author">
            <given_name>Arianit</given_name>
            <surname>Peci</surname>
            <affiliations>
              <institution>
                <institution_name>Department of Mathematics and Informatics, Faculty of Economics and Agribusiness, Agricultural University of Tirana, Rruga Paisi Vodica 1025, Tirana, ALBANIA </institution_name>
              </institution>
            </affiliations>
          </person_name>
          <person_name sequence="additional" contributor_role="author">
            <given_name>Blerina</given_name>
            <surname>Dervishaj</surname>
            <affiliations>
              <institution>
                <institution_name>Department of Finance and Accounting, Faculty of Economy, "Ismail Qemali" University of Vlora, Lagja, ''Pavaresia'', Rruga “Kosova” 400, 9400 Vlorë, ALBANIA </institution_name>
              </institution>
            </affiliations>
          </person_name>
          <person_name sequence="additional" contributor_role="author">
            <given_name>Adis</given_name>
            <surname>Puška</surname>
            <affiliations>
              <institution>
                <institution_name>Department of Public Safety, Government of Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulevara mira 1, 76100 Brčko, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA</institution_name>
              </institution>
            </affiliations>
          </person_name>
          <person_name sequence="additional" contributor_role="author">
            <given_name>Anđelka</given_name>
            <surname>Štilić</surname>
            <affiliations>
              <institution>
                <institution_name>The College of Tourism, Academy of Applied Studies Belgrade, Bulevar Zorana Đinđića 152a, 11070 Belgrade, SERBIA</institution_name>
              </institution>
            </affiliations>
          </person_name>
          <person_name sequence="additional" contributor_role="author">
            <given_name>Darko</given_name>
            <surname>Božanić</surname>
            <affiliations>
              <institution>
                <institution_name>Military Academy, University of Defence in Belgrade, Veljka Lukića Kurjaka 33, 11042 Belgrade, SERBIA </institution_name>
              </institution>
            </affiliations>
          </person_name>
        </contributors>
        <jats:abstract xml:lang="en">
          <jats:p>The growth of medical tourism has contributed to the expansion of dental tourism. With the rise of tourism in Albania, dental tourism has similarly progressed. This research aims to evaluate the quality of dental tourism services in Tirana, applying fuzzy methods such as CRITIC (CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation) and CoCoSo (Combined Compromise Solution). These two methods were integrated into a hybrid approach, as described in this paper. Seven experts evaluated dental practices using linguistic values. The CRITIC method results indicated that, among the ten criteria, the most significant was the variety of services. According to the CoCoSo method, Biodent Denti e Sorrisi, Diamond Dental, and Dental Med Austria practices demonstrated the highest quality in dental tourism services. As research results indicate, these clinics could serve as models for improving dental tourism in Albania through a focus on quality development.</jats:p>
        </jats:abstract>
        <publication_date media_type="print">
          <month>01</month>
          <day>05</day>
          <year>2026</year>
        </publication_date>
        <publication_date media_type="online">
          <month>01</month>
          <day>05</day>
          <year>2026</year>
        </publication_date>
        <pages>
          <first_page>44</first_page>
        </pages>
        <publisher_item>
          <item_number item_number_type="article_number">4</item_number>
        </publisher_item>
        <ai:program name="AccessIndicators">
          <ai:license_ref>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en_US</ai:license_ref>
        </ai:program>
        <doi_data>
          <doi>10.37394/23207.2026.23.4</doi>
          <resource>https://wseas.com/journals/bae/2026/a085107-3274.pdf</resource>
        </doi_data>
        <citation_list>
          <citation key="ref0">
            <unstructured_citation>Adams, K., Snyder, J., Crooks, V. A., Berry, N. S., A critical examination of empowerment discourse in medical tourism: the case of the dental tourism industry in Los Algodones, Mexico, Globalization and Health, vol. 14, no. 1, 2018, pp. 70. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-018-0392-3.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref1">
            <unstructured_citation>Allahham, M., Sharabati, A.-A. A., Hatamlah, H., Ahmad, A. Y. B., Sabra, S., Daoud, M. K. Big data analytics and AI for green supply chain integration and sustainability in hospitals. WSEAS Transactions on Environment and Development, vol. 19, 2023, pp. 1218–1230. https://doi.org/10.37394/232015.2023.19.111.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref2">
            <unstructured_citation>Akhundova, N. The impact of tourism on the intersectoral development in Azerbaijan. WSEAS Transactions on Environment and Development, vol. 18, 2022, 725-736. https://doi.org/10.37394/232015.2022.18.68.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref3">
            <unstructured_citation>Leake, J. L., Birch, S., Public policy and the market for dental services, Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, vol. 36, no. 4, 2008, pp. 287-295. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600- 0528.2008.00438.x.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref4">
            <unstructured_citation>Listl, S., Galloway, J., Mossey, P. A., Marcenes, W., Global economic impact of dental diseases. Journal of Dental Research, vol. 94, no. 10, 2015, pp. 1355–1361. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022034515602879.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref5">
            <unstructured_citation>Pavlov, K., Pavlova, O., Ilyin, L., Novosad, O., Bortnik, S., Assessment of Innovation and Investment Attractiveness of The Western Ukrainian Regional Market of Tourist Services, Economics - innovative and economics research journal, vol. 11, no. 1, 2023, pp. 45-68. https://doi.org/10.2478/eoik2023-0005.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref6">
            <unstructured_citation>Demonja, D., Uglješić, N., Dental Tourism and Business Risks: the Example of the Republic of Croatia, Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems, vol. 18, no. 4, 2020, pp. 425-445. https://doi.org/10.7906/indecs.18.4.3.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref7">
            <unstructured_citation>Chakraborty, S., Mallick, B., Chakraborty, S., Mining of association rules for treatment of dental diseases, Journal of Decision Analytics and Intelligent Computing, vol. 2, no. 1, 2022, pp. 1–11. https://doi.org/10.31181/jdaic10028042022c.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref8">
            <unstructured_citation>Cheng, F.-C., Wang, L.-H., Ozawa, N., YuFong Chang, J., Liu, S.-Y., Chiang, C.-P., Development of dental education for medical students in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period, Journal of Dental Sciences, vol. 17, no. 2, 2022, pp. 903–912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jds.2022.01.009.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref9">
            <unstructured_citation>Novakivskyi, I., Kulyniak, I., Dziurakh, Y., Ohinok, S., Ukrainets, L., Modeling the tourism market behavior based on discrete equilibrium models “supply – price – demand.” Economics - innovative and economics research journal, vol. 12, no. 3, 2024, pp. 33-53. https://doi.org/10.2478/eoik2024-0036.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref10">
            <unstructured_citation>Lwin, H. N. N., Punnakitikashem, P., Thananusak, T., The level and determinants of international patient satisfaction with dental tourism in Bangkok, Thailand, Cogent Business &amp; Management, vol. 8, no. 1, 2021, pp. 1898316. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2021.18983 16.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref11">
            <unstructured_citation>Heralová, O., Merger Spin-off Project and Its Effect on Financial Health Of PostTransformation Companies, International Journal of Economic Sciences, vol. 13, no. 1, 2024, pp. 1-12. https://doi.org/10.52950/ES.2024.13.1.001.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref12">
            <unstructured_citation>Alshiqi, S., Sahiti, A., The impact of COVID– 19 on Albanian tourism. Emerging Science Journal, vol. 6, 2022, pp. 33–41. https://doi.org/10.28991/esj-2022-sper-03.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref13">
            <unstructured_citation>Kotollaku, M., Dental tourism in Albania - A study that explores the factors that attract foreign tourists to benefit from dental services in Albania, Multidisciplinary Science Journal, vol. 6, no. 10, 2024, pp. 213. https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.202421 3.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref14">
            <unstructured_citation>Jaapar, M., Musa, G., Moghavvemi, S., Saub, R., Dental tourism: Examining tourist profiles, motivation and satisfaction, Tourism Management, vol. 61, 2017, pp. 538–552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2017.02.023</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref15">
            <unstructured_citation>Ramos, K., Cuamea, O., Dental tourism: factors influencing travelers’ revisit intention to the Mexican border, International Journal of Tourism Cities, vol. 9, no. 3, 2023, pp. 806- 831. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijtc-03-2023- 0046.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref16">
            <unstructured_citation>Charati, M. K., Gholian-Jouybari, F., Hajiaghaei-Keshteli, M., Paydar, M. M., Sadeghi, F., Designing a sustainable dental tourism supply chain considering waste treatment. Annals of Operations Research, vol. 342, 2024, 173-214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-023-05779-4.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref17">
            <unstructured_citation>Felkai, P. P., Nakdimon, I., Felkai, T., Levin, L., Zadik, Y., Dental tourism and the risk of barotrauma and barodontalgia. British Dental Journal, vol. 234, no. 2, 2023, pp. 115–117. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-023-5449-x.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref18">
            <unstructured_citation>Oltean, F. D., Gabor, M. R., Stăncioiu, A.-F., Kardos, M., Kiss, M., Marinescu, R. C., Aspects of marketing in dental tourism-factor of sustainable development in Romania. Sustainability, vol. 12, no. 10, 2020, pp. 4320. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104320.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref19">
            <unstructured_citation>Ahmadimanesh, F., Pourmehdi, M., Paydar, M. M., Evaluation and prioritisation of potential locations for investment in dental tourism, Soft Computing, vol. 25, no. 24, 2021, pp. 15313-15333. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00500-021-06124-2.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref20">
            <unstructured_citation>Karadayi-Usta, S., Serdarasan, S., Supplier selection and capacity allocation in medical tourism service supply chain. Opsearch. Vol. 61, 2024, pp 2191-2217. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12597-023-00649-w</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref21">
            <unstructured_citation>Yücenur, G., Yazıcı, M., Global Location Selection for an Oral Health Center with a Sequential Method by SWARA&amp;TODIM, Osmaniye Korkut Ata Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü Dergisi, vol. 6, no. 1, 2023, pp. 476-492. https://doi.org/10.47495/okufbed.1070698.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref22">
            <unstructured_citation>Więckowski, J., Sałabun, W., Comparative Sensitivity Analysis in Composite Material Selection: Evaluating OAT and COMSAM Methods in Multi-criteria Decision-making. Spectrum of Mechanical Engineering and Operational Research, vol. 2, no. 1, 2025, pp. 1-12. https://doi.org/10.31181/smeor21202524.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref23">
            <unstructured_citation>Nedeljković, M., Puška, A., Jeločnik, M., Božanić, D., Subić, J., Štilić, A., Maksimović, A., Enhancing Fruit Orchard Establishment: A Multicriteria Approach for Plum Variety Selection. Yugoslav Journal of Operations Research, vol. 34, no. 2, 2023, pp. 355-380. https://doi.org/10.2298/YJOR230815033N.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref24">
            <unstructured_citation>Biswas, A., Gazi, K. H., Bhaduri, P., Mondal, S. P., Neutrosophic fuzzy decision-making framework for site selection, Journal of Decision Analytics and Intelligent Computing, vol. 4, no. 1, 2024, pp. 187–215. https://doi.org/10.31181/jdaic10004122024b.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref25">
            <unstructured_citation>Lazarashouri, H., Najafi, S. E., Enhancing Emergency Department Efficiency Through Simulation and Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Integration, Journal of Operational and Strategic Analytics, vol. 2, no. 1, 2024, pp. 56-71. https://doi.org/10.56578/josa020106.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref26">
            <unstructured_citation>Trung, D. D., Dudić, B., Dung, H. T., Truong, N. X., Innovation in financial health assessment: Applying MCDM techniques to banks in Vietnam. Economics - innovative and economics research journal, vol. 12, no. 2, 2024, pp. 21–33. https://doi.org/10.2478/eoik-2024-0011.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref27">
            <unstructured_citation>Lukić, R. Evaluation of trade performance dynamics in Serbia using ARAT and Rough MABAC methods. Oeconomica Jadertina, vol. 14, no. 2, 2024, pp. 34-44. https://doi.org/10.15291/oec.4559.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref28">
            <unstructured_citation>Taletović, M., Application of Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Methods in Warehouse: A Brief Review. Spectrum of Engineering and Management Sciences, vol. 1, no. 1, 2023, pp. 25-37. https://doi.org/10.31181/sems11202331t.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref29">
            <unstructured_citation>Andrejić, M., Pajić, V., Optimizing Personnel Selection in Transportation: An Application of the BWM-CoCoSo Decision-Support Model, Journal of Organizations, Technology and Entrepreneurship, vol. 1, no. 1, 2023, pp. 35-46. https://doi.org/10.56578/jote010103.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref30">
            <unstructured_citation>Pajić, V., Andrejić, M., &amp; Kilibarda, M., Procurement optimization by selecting efficient suppliers using DEA-FUCOMCoCoSo approach and solving order allocation problem. Facta Universitatis, Series: Mechanical Engineering, Online first, 2025, https://doi.org/10.22190/FUME220210031P.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref31">
            <unstructured_citation>Abdinematabad, S., Ebadikhah, R., Pourabdollah, M., Raeinojehdehi, R., Perceptions of Overseas Residents on Tourism Development in Qingdao: An Impact Analysis, TourismSpectrum: Diversity &amp; Dynamics, vol. 1, no. 1, 2024, pp. 1-15. https://doi.org/10.56578/tsdd010101.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref32">
            <unstructured_citation>Çapar, H., Aslan, O., Factors affecting destination choice in medical tourism, International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health, vol. 8, no. 2, 2024, pp. 80-88. https://doi.org/10.34172/ijtmgh.2020.13</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref33">
            <unstructured_citation>Gray, L., McNeill, L., Yi, W., Zvonereva, A., Brunton, P., Mei, L., The “business” of dentistry: Consumers’ (patients’) criteria in the selection and evaluation of dental services. PloS One, vol. 16, no. 8, 2021, pp. e0253517. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253517.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref34">
            <unstructured_citation>Mrkaić Ateljević, A. M., Mitrović, G., Božičković, S., Stanimirović, V., Subotić, S., An innovative approach to measuring the tourism competitiveness of Bosnia and Herzegovina using the integrated (Dwyer &amp; Kim) model, Economics - innovative and economics research journal, vol. 12, no. 3, 2024, pp. 189–205. https://doi.org/10.2478/eoik-2024-0029.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref35">
            <unstructured_citation>Kordsofla, M. M., Sorourkhah, A., Strategic Adaptation in Travel Agencies: Integrating MARA with SWOT for Uncertainty Navigation, Journal of Operational and Strategic Analytics, vol. 1, no. 4, 2023, pp. 173-189. https://doi.org/10.56578/josa010403.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref36">
            <unstructured_citation>Pavlović, D. Research design of stakeholder networks in a tourist destination. Oeconomica Jadertina, vol. 14, no. 1, 2024, pp. 112-125. https://doi.org/10.15291/oec.4407.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref37">
            <unstructured_citation>Asif, M., Ishtiaq, U., Argyros, I. K., Hamacher Aggregation Operators for Pythagorean Fuzzy Set and its Application in Multi-Attribute Decision-Making Problem, Spectrum of Operational Research, vol. 2, no. 1, 2025, pp. 27-40. https://doi.org/10.31181/sor2120258.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref38">
            <unstructured_citation>Choudhary, R., Ashraf, S., Anafi, J., Enhanced Industrial Control System of Decision-Making Using Spherical Hesitant Fuzzy Soft Yager Aggregation Information, Acadlore Transactions on Applied Mathematics and Statistics, vol. 1, no. 3, 2023, pp. 161-180. https://doi.org/10.56578/atams010304.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref39">
            <unstructured_citation>Gazi, K. H., Raisa, N., Biswas, A., Azizzadeh, F., &amp; Mondal, S. P., Finding the Most Important Criteria in Women’s Empowerment for Sports Sector by Pentagonal Fuzzy DEMATEL Methodology, Spectrum of Decision Making and Applications, vol. 2, no. 1, 2025, pp. 28-52. https://doi.org/10.31181/sdmap21202510.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref40">
            <unstructured_citation>Žižović, M., Miljković, B., Marinković, D., Objective methods for determining criteria weight coefficients: A modification of the CRITIC method, Decision Making: Applications in Management and Engineering, vol. 3, no. 2, 2020, pp. 149-161. https://doi.org/10.31181/dmame2003149z.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref41">
            <unstructured_citation>Tešić, D., Božanić, D., Radovanović, M., Petrovski, A., Optimising Assault Boat Selection for Military Operations: An Application of the DIBR II-BM-CoCoSo MCDM Model. Journal of Intelligent Management Decision, vol. 2, no. 4, 2023, pp. 160-171. https://doi.org/10.56578/jimd020401.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
          <citation key="ref42">
            <unstructured_citation>Huseyn, A., Assessment of Tourism-Led Growth Risks in Resource-Rich Countries: Evidence from Azerbaijan. Economics - innovative and economics research journal, vol. 11, no. 2, 2023, pp. 137-152. https://doi.org/10.2478/eoik-2023-0053.</unstructured_citation>
          </citation>
        </citation_list>
      </journal_article>
    </journal>
  </body>
</doi_batch>