Root causes | Are employers doing enough to support staff through Britain's dental care crisis?

For many UK workers, getting to the dentist has become less of a routine errand and more of a logistical impossibility.

The stories have become increasingly familiar: patients queuing outside surgeries before dawn in the hope of securing a place, months-long waiting lists, and growing numbers forced into expensive private care or simply going without treatment altogether. For HR leaders already grappling with employee wellbeing, financial stress and rising health-related absence, there is a growing question worth asking: should dental care now be seen as a workplace issue too?

It may sound like a niche concern. But amid what many describe as a worsening NHS dentistry crisis, employers may have a bigger role to play than they realise.

Britain’s growing dental access problem

The scale of the UK’s dental care challenge is difficult to ignore. According to figures published by the British Dental Association in late 2024, 96.9% of people without a dentist who attempted to access NHS dental care were unsuccessful. Of those unable to secure care, more than three-quarters (78.5%) did nothing at all, while others were pushed into private care, GP surgeries or even A&E departments despite medics not being equipped to provide dental treatment.