Difficulties in securing NHS treatment mean UK plc continues to offer dental care options for employees despite rising costs.
As health insurance premiums soar, companies are alive to the risks of not offering a dental option and so voluntary benefit schemes are becoming more popular.
But intermediaries note that with their own stories of desperate clients conducting their own at-home treatment, this emphasises the importance of providing more support, especially with the well established link between physical and oral health.
So it is becoming clear from across the sector that collaborative solutions including technology are required as the NHS cannot be left to tackle the nation’s dental health emergency on its own.
UK plc filling the gaps
“Demand for dental care is being shaped by economic pressures and shifting patient expectations,” Lianne Scott-Munden, clinical services lead at Denplan, explains.
“There’s a noticeable rise in cosmetic dentistry, driven in part by social media influence.
“At the same time, NHS access challenges, such as 90% of dentists reportedly not accepting new NHS patients, are pushing more individuals towards private treatment and are leaving patients with little option despite the higher costs.”
Consequently, UK plc is frequently picking up the slack.
And as Kevin O’Neill, associate and head of workplace health at Barnett Waddingham points out, there are even indicators that a dental care option is a potent recruitment and retention tool.
“There remains strong demand for the NHS but we are seeing increasing demand for access to corporate dental plans, fully funded and voluntary, due to lack of access via the NHS,” O’Neill says.
“There remains a focus on employee wellbeing as part of recruitment and retention initiatives.
“Companies continue to see the importance of dental benefits in employee wellbeing and as a tool for attracting and retaining.
“While we continue to see new to market dental plans we are increasingly seeing higher growth in the corporate cash plan market which includes dental benefits and consistently represents a significant portion of all cash plan claims.”
PMI inflation hitting budgets
The greater usage of private medical insurance (PMI) and resulting significantly higher premiums has had a knock-on effect on employer healthcare budgets.
However, according to Broadstone head of health and protection Brett Hill, employers are alive to this issue.
“There’s no question that claims inflation on healthcare schemes, and the subsequent impact on renewal premiums, has made it difficult for many employers to expand the provision of other company funded benefits such as dental insurance in recent years,” Hill explains.
But where employee demand remains, Hill adds there has been a significant increase in uptake of voluntary dental benefits among clients who offer flexible benefits programmes.
“The biggest growth we have seen has undoubtedly been in the voluntary dental insurance market,” Hill continues.
“Many employers with constrained benefits budgets recognise the employee appetite for dental benefits and want to offer a solution.
“So they are willing to put in place voluntary dental schemes and take on the administration of premium payments and salary deductions provided they can access technology platforms that make this as simple and pain-free as possible.”
Temporary at home filling kit
It is equally important to alleviate the pain of desperate patients turning to self treatment.
Denplan’s Scott-Munden points out some patients have resorted to DIY dentistry, including attempting to extract their own teeth with pliers due to unbearable pain and lack of access to dental treatment.
Kristian Breeze, director of healthcare at Ascend Health, tells Health & Protection some of the stories he has heard from clients have been equally striking.
“One individual resorted to DIY dental work with a temporary filling kit bought online,” Breeze reveals.
“Others have travelled hundreds of miles or taken out high-interest credit to fund emergency treatment,” he continues.
“Beyond the clinical risk, there’s a clear economic impact. We’ve seen clients taking repeated time off work, not just for treatment, but to queue or travel for care.
“For those in customer-facing or physically demanding roles, dental pain and poor oral health can be career-limiting.”
This anecdotal evidence is backed-up with research data.
“Our Britain at Work 2025 survey revealed that 59% of women and 39% of men have resorted to self-treating due to a lack of access to healthcare, which likely includes dental care,” Health Shield Friendly Society commercial director Paul Shires tells Health & Protection.
“This trend of self-treatment is concerning, as it shows that many people are being forced to take matters into their own hands when professional care isn’t available,” Shires says.
“Concerns about access to healthcare, such as dental treatments, creates an opportunity for employers to fill the gap by offering tailored health benefits that provide practical, immediate care solutions.”
Routine check-ups find critical issues
But there are other wider implications of the importance of regular dental checks.
Patrick Miles, head of healthcare consulting at WTW, explains: “Routine dental checks can pick up significant physical health issues, and regular oral hygiene maintenance can likewise prevent them.
“This is an angle many employers, and indeed insurers, overlook when thinking about their overall health and wellbeing strategies and benefit programmes.
“Many people are not aware of comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease and stroke, which have significant cost impacts from a sickness and absence perspective.
“These also directly impact other benefit plan costs such as private medical schemes, long term disability and death in service policies.”
Miles cites the example of a dentist who picked up changes to gum health linked to a heart medication in a patient.
“They referred the patient back to their GP to change the medication and at the GP consultation it was discovered that the individual had extremely high blood pressure which required a hospital admission,” Miles continues.
“We have also seen scenarios around how other health issues can impact oral health. An example of which is someone with long-term, significant gum disease who was a heavy ‘social’ drinker.
“When they stopped drinking alcohol, their gum disease cleared up within six months.”
Virtual dentistry
Identifying these health issues is no longer the preserve of in-person appointments however, with technology proving increasingly desirable and effective.
“There are more options than ever with providers also recognising the need,” Towergate Employee Benefits head of wellbeing Debra Clark explains.
“Some are now offering virtual dentistry support as part of their proposition – this includes group protection and cash plan providers.
“Some allow it to be added on to a private medical insurance policy at an additional cost and others offer cover as a standalone policy.”
However, it is clear that UK plc cannot carry the burden of improving the nation’s dental health alone and confidence remains low that the Labour government will hit its manifesto promise of providing 700,000 more urgent dental appointments.
“Without sounding overly political, I feel this current government has made things even worse and I don’t see a route out if they continue with their policies,” David Booth, sales director at Santé Group, tells Health & Protection.
“While I haven’t kept up to date with everything they say, I can’t recall much discussion about improving the UK’s access to dentistry. I don’t have much faith they will do anything so it is down to individuals and employers to manage the issue.”
O’Neill maintains that Labour’s manifesto appointment promise and recruit new dentists to areas that need them does not appear to have borne fruit in the first year of government.
“There has been a steady decline in dentists offering NHS services post-Covid,” O’Neill continues.
“One of the key drivers of this is the NHS contract simply isn’t strong enough to retain dentists, who can earn considerably more privately.
“With the NHS unable to retain dental practices, they’re going to fall well short of their target of 700,000 additional urgent appointments.
“Simply put, the government needs to invest in the NHS contract if they want to retain more dentists.”
Collaborative solutions needed
Unum UK head of product proposition Clare Lusted describes how the pace of meaningful reform is continuing to lag behind the urgency of public need.
“While initiatives such as expanded urgent care appointments and contract consultations signal a shift in intent, the British Dental Association and other experts warn these measures fall short without deeper structural changes, including workforce expansion and long-term funding commitments,” she says.
Consequently, Lusted says to truly improve dental care, solutions must be collaborative.
“Government reform is essential to restore trust and capacity within the NHS, while private providers and insurers play a vital role in expanding access, promoting prevention, and supporting workplace wellbeing,” she continues.
“Only through joined-up action can oral health be fully integrated into the UK’s broader health and wellbeing strategy.”