Employee absences due to dental issues alone are costing UK businesses, with nearly 37 per cent of workers needing to take time off due to pain, according to Bupa.
The research shows that employees who take sick leave due to dental pain miss an average of 6.5 hours, costing a company with 100 employees £4,129.87 annually.
Only 15% of workers have dental insurance through their employer, with even lower coverage among older age groups—10% for those aged 45-54 and 7% for those over 55.
The research also found that the high cost of dental care is the top reason workers delay check-ups (32%), and 34% say employer support, such as time off, insurance, and better communication, would encourage them to prioritise dental appointments.
Meanwhile, a wider Bupa research found that 65% of 18-34-year-olds know more about their mental health than their dental health, with 19% unaware of any connection between the two. But 85% of respondents did not believe oral health impacts mental health, and only a small percentage understood specific links with 12% for panic attacks and 7% for bipolar disorder.
The awareness of dental health and its connection to serious physical conditions was also low, with just 53% recognising the link to mouth cancer, 25% to diabetes, and 14% to heart disease.
Bupa director of dental insurance Ann Stewart says: “Employers and people teams need to balance rewarding and retaining the best talent with their businesses’ broader goals. Great progress has been made in recognising the central role mental health plays in overall wellbeing and consequently how we perform at work, but attitudes towards dental care have been slower to catch up.
“Not only do oral health issues cost people time at work, it can also be an indicator of broader health problems. Workplaces have a growing responsibility in the UK to encourage workers to prioritise their wellbeing and help remove any barriers that might be in place.
“Businesses need to prioritise manifesting an environment where their employers feel empowered to tackle any health issues they face. This can be done by investing in educational opportunities, introducing policies that make it easier for people to make time for appointments, or even investing in health benefits packages.”
