Dentists’ Provident paid out £5.6m to members in 2022 having received nearly 60% more new claims than in 2021, according to the dental income protection (IP) provider’s claims stats for 2022.
The data showed that 99.1% of new claims received a payment, compared to 98.9% in 2021. The insurer received a total of 1,679 claims in 2022 and paid 1,664 of these claims.
Fifteen new claims were denied for reasons such as they did not meet the definition of incapacity, their condition was not covered by the plan or other plan rules were not met.
The largest amount paid to an individual claimant was £62,430.
The majority of claims paid were to those aged 46-55 years-old, with the average age of claimant being 49 and the youngest claimant a 27-year-old dentist.
Infectious diseases were one of the main reasons for claims in 2022, with Covid infections making up the majority of these claims.
But the report also showed that musculoskeletal disorders (23%), psychiatric disorders (12%) and accidents (12%) remained as other significant reasons for claim.
The firm received four complaints in 2022 about claims handling, compared with two in the previous year. Again, none were referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).
Farrukh Mirza, CEO of Dentists’ Provident, (pictured) said: “Nearly three years on from the pandemic and we have again seen a resurgence in Covid claims, thankfully for our members, the vast majority of infections have been less severe and of a shorter duration.
“The dental profession has shown incredible resilience since the start of the pandemic, continuing to work tirelessly within their communities.
“With all the personal, professional and financial challenges of the last few years, we have tried to be one of the few things in their lives that is reliable and consistent by being flexible, approachable and supportive.”
Simon Elliott, the firm’s chief risk officer, added: “We take pride in our personalised and thorough underwriting, giving members confidence they have a dependable income protection plan that works for them.
“In 2022 we have had one of the highest level of claims paid but without a corresponding increase in complaints. It is easy to attribute our success solely to our people and our processes but none of this would be possible without our members, who have been incredible.”