Buyer’s guide to dental benefits

 What are dental benefits?

Dental benefits are schemes that help employees cover the costs of dental-related work, which could include routine check-ups, oral health maintenance and basic procedures like fillings, crowns and tooth extractions. Some plans will cover emergency care or others will even cover cosmetic dentistry, such as tooth whitening or veneers.

Dental insurance plans specifically contribute towards the cost of employee dental care, making treatment more affordable. Dental benefits are often included as part of wider health cash plans, allowing employees to claim back the cost of routine dental procedures.

Research by Bupa Dental Insurance, published in July 2023, found that almost half of employees (48%) have called in sick or left work early due to dental pain, adding up to more than 1,330 working days lost to dental pain over the course of a year. The Bupa Wellbeing Index found that 68% of respondents said their motivation at work would increase if they were offered dental insurance by their employer and 72% said they would take up dental insurance if offered.

What are the cost implications?

When it comes to paying for dental benefits, employers have a range of options. They could choose to fully fund insurance, for instance, via group dental insurance plans, the cost of which can vary considerably based on an organisation’s size, employee demographics and level of coverage.

Alternatively, dental benefits could be part of a flexible or voluntary benefits scheme, paid for by employees via payroll deduction.

Dental benefits can often be offered as part of a wider health cash plan; according to LaingBuisson, the average price of an employer-paid health cash plan is £94 per contributor.

Are there any tax or legal issues?

Investing in any health and protection products such as dental insurance can bring significant tax implications for employers. For example, since 2015, insurance premium tax (IPT) has doubled, adding up to 72% on premiums. Employers are advised to seek guidance to ensure they are clear on the taxation aspects around providing such benefits before choosing a scheme and provider. Dental benefits are considered to be a benefit in kind.

What are the current market trends or developments?

For many employees, covering the rising cost of dental care in a cost of living crisis is nothing to smile about: Denplan’s Oral health report , published in October 2024, found that 31% of people are worried about the cost of visiting the dentist. According to data published by health insurer Mytribe in January 2025, which analysed 450 dental practices across the UK, the average cost of a routine dental check-up has risen from £48 in 2022 to £55 today, an increase of 15%, while the cost of a private tooth extraction has risen by 32% to £139.

The cost of a basic NHS dental check-up has also increased, rising by 2.3% to £27.40 as of April 2025. And that is if you can find an NHS dentist in the first place. According to 2022 research by the BBC and the British Dental Association, 90% of NHS dental practices were not accepting new adult patients.

These challenges mean dental benefits are highly valued by employees, acting as a useful attraction, retention and engagement tool. Employees with dental benefits are more likely to go to the dentist or hygienist, with 90% visiting at least once every two years compared to 70% of those with no cover, according to Denplan, having a significant positive impact on oral and general health and wellbeing.

The use of private dental treatment is increasing: Unum’s internal data reveals that 75% of dental claims in 2024 were for private treatments, a sharp increase from five years ago when only 59% of claims were for private services. And the private dental insurance market is growing too. In 2024, LaingBuisson reported that the market in the UK was experiencing record growth, with the market size increasing from £109 million to £180 million in only two years.

While much demand in the market has traditionally come from large corporate schemes, smaller organisations are becoming increasingly interested in providing dental benefits, according to Simplyhealth. This is driven by the challenges around accessing NHS dental care and increased costs.

Simplyhealth also notes that claims tend to be largely driven by routine and general care such as examinations, hygienist visits and treatment such as fillings and root canal treatments. In response, Simplyhealth recently uplifted coverage on several of these services on most levels of its plans.

Who are the main providers and what types of schemes do they offer?

The market is broad, with many health benefit providers and insurers including dental benefits as part of their offerings. Providers include Axa Health, Bupa, Simplyhealth, Unum, Vitality and Yulife.

Simplyhealth’s plans offer cash benefits towards a range of routine care, general treatment and more complex work, available at multiple different levels of cover and can be offered as either employer- or employee-funded. Unum offers two plans: Clear Extra, providing six levels of cover, and Radiant Extra, with five levels of cover, with its digital dental services provider Toothfairy offering employees swift access to dentistry services.

Bupa has increased benefits for routine examination and scale and polish, enabling people to claim more cashback towards preventative dental treatment, and offers access to oral cancer care from the start of the policy, having removed the wait period, and a value-add free dental care support line.

Some schemes will let employees add family members to their cover policy for a fee.