We know that when it comes to our oral health, prevention is better than cure. However, our research shows that there are many barriers preventing people from accessing dental health care in the UK. In fact, a fifth of UK adults – equivalent to 9.4 million people – have performed a dental procedure on themselves.
A growing need for dental support in the UK
The press has been dominated with headlines of a dental crisis with the cost of care increasing by 45 per cent in the past decade2. Our recent research has also identified that 6.5 million people admit to not having seen a dentist for more than five years, despite NHS guidance recommending individuals visit every two years3. Nearly half of UK adults admit that they’ve been put off going to the dentist with 13 per cent saying they simply couldn’t afford it. And despite oral health being integral to overall health, hygiene and wellbeing, 18 per cent of adults in the UK aren’t registered with a dentist and a further 12 per cent have been removed from their NHS waiting list in the last year.
Now more than ever there is a need for support and guidance when it comes to oral health. And while these statistics clearly highlight this need, we must also address the impact that this can have on the health and wellbeing of employees in the workplace. While we don’t know how long it will take to solve the dentistry crisis, we can begin to fill the gap through the workplace benefits that we offer.
A unique dentistry solution for all workplace protection customers
In April 2023, we became the first provider to offer the Toothfairy™ app free of charge to 2.8 million members and thousands of businesses across the UK. Toothfairy™ is the UK’s first health-regulated, smart dental app. The award-winning app has been created by two industry-leading dentists and uses patent-pending technology to solve a number of common issues including accessibility, availability, and affordability of dental care.
All workplace protection customers have unlimited access to guidance and advice from real UK dentists, signposting and help to find a local clinic or appointment, and private prescriptions issued in 24 hours.
At a time when many are struggling to access dental care, Toothfairy™ aims to fill the gap, connecting patients to dentists in minutes through award-winning technology. Over the past quarter, the services requested on Toothfairy™ comprised of 30.5 per cent for a virtual exam, 29.1 per cent for urgent dental enquires and 21.7 per cent for general dental inquiries, saving employees time and money, as well as providing the support they need immediately4. And it’s easy to get started, employees simply download Toothfairy™, complete their profile, provide the requested information and enter their access code to start using the services immediately.
Through Toothfairy™ we wanted to provide all employers and their employees with a support service to complement our existing suite of health and wellbeing services and address a growing need amongst our customers.
And with 1.2 million working days lost to dental problems each year5, Toothfairy™ can also prevent the need to visit a dentist in person, improving absenteeism in the workplace.
Standing out in a competitive employment market
With good people hard to retain in businesses due to competition, the benefits on offer from employers are becoming increasingly important. Our research shows that over a third (34 per cent) of UK workers, equivalent to 10.8m people, have been swayed to accept a job because of a competitive benefit, perk or company policy6. This shows that Toothfairy™ not only helps to reduce absenteeism and presenteeism within the workplace but also significantly enhances employers’ propositions.