New research from Bupa highlights a UK knowledge gap between dental health and its connection to physical & mental wellbeing, and why workplace benefits can help improve the nation’s health
Two in three (65%) 18 – 34-year-olds admit they know more about their mental health than their dental health, according to new research from Bupa – with 19% of this age group acknowledging they did not know there was any connection between oral health and mental wellbeing. In fact, just 13% of all Brits felt they are better informed about their dental health than their mental health, a knowledge gap that is costing UK businesses thousands of pounds a year.
The results come as part of a wider look from Bupa into how much Brits really know about the ways dental health connects with their overall physical and mental wellbeing. And the answer is very little, especially when it comes to mental health. 85% of respondents did not think mental health problems have anything to do with the health of their teeth, tongue or gums and drilling deeper, only 12% knew it is connected to panic attacks while just 7% understood the links to bipolar disorder.
There’s low public awareness of the links to serious physical conditions too, with just over half (53%) of the population recognising the link to mouth cancer. Even fewer are aware of connections to other conditions like diabetes (25%) or heart illness (14%).
Toothache is Proving Expensive for Employers
Those who call in sick due to dental pain miss nearly a full day (6.5 hours) on average each time, meaning a company with a headcount of 100 would be losing £4,129.87 a year* – a figure which compounds significantly when mapped across the UK’s 5.6 million private businesses.
Just 15% of workers have dental insurance through their employer and a further 10% were unaware, when asked, if dental was included in their benefits package. Coverage dipped further among older respondents, with just 10% of those aged 45-54 having cover and 7% of those above 55.
This lack of awareness is having a direct impact on the workplace. Employee absences due to dental issues alone are costing UK businesses dearly, with 37% of workers needing to take time away from work due to oral pain. And that’s before accounting for leave taken due to illness that could have been detected earlier through dental visits.
Elaine Saw, 57, whose family lived in London before moving abroad explained how diagnosis of an oral health issue proved the catalyst for her Mother’s eventual diabetes diagnosis:
“My son (who was around 6 at the time) had been sitting on my mother’s lap one day while we were gathered around the TV after dinner. When she left, he came up to me and sheepishly commented that he’d noticed a change in the way his grandmother’s breath smelled. It wasn’t something anyone else had noticed and at first, we assumed he was just being silly. But he kept mentioning it every time she visited our house and eventually, I started to notice it too.
“Flash forward to the dentist’s office and it turned out she had something called ‘acetone breath’, which was the catalyst for her eventual diabetes diagnosis. My mother had been having brief and mild dizzy spells during this time which we had chalked up to her having low blood pressure. It was only after making the connection with her breath that doctors took it seriously.”
Ann Stewart, Director of Dental Insurance at Bupa said: “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.
Ann continues, “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.”
Improvements to their workplace benefits would make 34% of professionals feel more valued, while 24% say it would make them more motivated and the same proportion feel it would foster more loyalty toward their employer.
Costs were the number one reason workers put off regular dental check-ups (32%) and 34% say employer support through time off, workplace insurance and clearer communication on what’s included would help them prioritise appointments, emphasising the role employers play in promoting positive dental habits.
To educate the public about the links between their oral and wider health, Bupa has launched ‘The Great Unexplored’, a campaign which gives people the opportunity to take a quiz to find out how much they know about the link between the mouth and overall health.
Alongside the research, Bupa took to the streets of London to ask passersby how much or little they know about dental health. You can watch on LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram.