Only 5% of British employees given dental cover
A study conducted by Cigna Healthcare Benefits has found that 5 percent of British employees receive dental cover through their employers.
The research also revealed that almost a third of participants delayed or cancelled dental appointments due to cost, despite the fact that 93 percent of them rated oral health as either important or very important.
In one region alone, 21 percent of participants said that they had taken time off work as a result of oral health problems. The survey also showed that over half of those involved in the research study were willing to pay a minimum of £10 per month for dental cover.
Head of product management at Cigna, Kirsty Jagielko, said that the results of the survey were worrying, especially as a growing number of research studies are linking oral health problems to serious medical conditions. The fact that people are taking time off for dental problems is also a concern for employers and Jagielko suggests that this problem will only get worse as salaries are frozen and the cost of living increases, leaving people with less disposable income; as a result of this, it may be beneficial in the long-term for employers to provide dental cover as part of the employee benefits package.
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