Written by Ann Stewart, Director of Dental Insurance, Bupa
Remember a time where workplace ‘health insurance’ just meant being covered for visits to hospital? It may sound foreign to people starting their careers now, in a world where attitudes have shifted to view health more holistically, but that was once a fairly standard offering from employers.
Now though, it’s commonplace for mental health support to be included not just in employees’ insurance, but their broader benefits package too. In fact, the Association of British Insurers found that 94% of people who had accessed mental health services via their provider did so through their employers’s plan, proof of the demand that had for years gone unmet.
But are most employers still missing a trick – and is 2025 the year they catch on? Our research found that just 15% of workers have dental insurance through their jobs despite over a third of UK employees (37%) admitting they had needed to take time away due to oral pain. This means businesses are putting themselves at risk of lost revenue and productivity – something no business can ever afford.
What’s at stake?
When we dug deeper into the time people had needed to take to address dental issues, we found they were missing 6.5 hours each time – nearly a full day. That costs a company with a hundred employees £4,120 a year at least, and that’s before factoring in the productivity that is missed while they are away or the sick days that could have been avoided had a health condition been picked up during a routine dental check-up.
The British public are largely unaware of how their oral health interconnects with their wider wellbeing and that’s being reflected by businesses’ attitudes towards dental insurance. Surprisingly, just over half (53%) of the population recognise the link between oral health and mouth cancer, and even fewer are aware of connections to other conditions like diabetes (25%), heart illness (14%).
As a result, rather than being viewed as an intrinsic part of an employee’s health that needs to be covered, dental health remains to be seen as not essential. And, workers are putting themselves at risk of letting serious illnesses go unnoticed by not prioritising trips to the dentist’s chair.
What can businesses do?
Workplaces have a growing responsibility in the UK to encourage employees to prioritise all aspects of their wellbeing and remove the barriers that make accessing help more difficult. Here are a few steps organisations can take to help employees improve not just their dental health, but their overall wellbeing by extension.
Invest in educational opportunities
If workers don’t understand the importance of prioritising visits to the dentist, no amount of cover will encourage them to. In order for behaviour to change, attitudes need to be shifted first.
As part of wider workplace wellbeing strategies, workplaces can educate staff about the way their oral health interconnects with the rest of the body. They can reframe dentists as similar to GPs in their ability to identify health issues and help patients get specialised care. For example, it’s not commonly known that symptoms of menopause are something a dentist can spot via patients’ mouths.
Leaders of HR teams should also make a point to share best practices for how workers can improve their dental hygiene and the impact it has on their overall health, to empower them to take their wellbeing into their own hands.
Create policies that make it easy for employees to make time for appointments
Over a third of the workers we surveyed (34%) said employer support like dedicated time off to visit the dentist would help them prioritise regular appointments.
Much like how many workplaces now offer time off specifically for employees to manage their mental health, should we do the same for dental appointments? Even if workplaces are lenient about allowing staff to use company time for appointments, putting the onus on workers to ask for special permission is a barrier on its own.
However, it’s not enough to simply have these policies and benefits in place; it’s crucial to actively communicate them to employees. By making employees aware of their options, companies can ensure they don’t just sit in the background unused, but instead, actively contribute to the health and wellbeing of their workforce.
How healthcare benefits can reduce cost barriers for employees
Costs were the number one reason workers we spoke to put off regular dental check-ups underscoring the role workplace insurance plays in getting people to visit their dentist.
Dental insurance can help employees spread the cost of treatment, making it more manageable and less of a financial burden. Additionally, Bupa’s instant claim service means we’ll pay the practice directly, reducing out-of-pocket expenses and simplifying the process for employees. This will help people get to their dental appointments without financial stress.
The upside for businesses is a healthier workforce. One that is more engaged and takes fewer sick days, driving greater productivity as a result.
Responsible employers have a duty to support their workforce’s health holistically. Neglecting any aspect – like mental health once was and oral care sometimes still is – puts employees at risk of falling victim to more serious illnesses.
So, let’s get moving, and make sure that 2025 is the year where dental health assumes its rightful (and long overdue) place alongside physical and mental health in the minds of HR teams – for the good of their people and organisations.
