Almost half of UK employers offer no dental support 

Almost half of UK employers provide no dental benefit to employees, despite HR leaders ranking workforce productivity, retention and wellbeing among their biggest people priorities for 2026, new research has found.

Research conducted by YouGov and commissioned by dental benefits provider Toothfairy found 44.7% of employers offer no dental provision, rising to 64.9% among organisations with 10 to 49 employees. Even among employers with 250 or more staff, almost a quarter provide no dental support.

The findings are based on an online survey of 1,020 UK HR decision-makers, conducted between 28 May and 17 June 2026. The results were not weighted to be representative of all UK HR decision-makers.

Among employers without dental provision, 23.7% cited budget constraints as the primary reason, while 22.8% said they believed employees arranged dental care privately and 21.9% said dental was not viewed as a strategic priority. A further 9.7% had not reviewed dental recently.

The report raises questions about whether employers have sufficient data to understand the impact dental problems may be having on workforce absence and productivity.

Only 38.1% of respondents said their organisation records unplanned absence by specific cause. A further 28.9% record it under general sickness, 15.4% as annual or unpaid leave, 10.6% handle it case by case without a formal process and 4% do not track it consistently.

This means around six in ten employers cannot specifically identify when dental problems contribute to employee absence.

That could represent a wider challenge for HR and wellbeing teams attempting to demonstrate the relationship between health interventions and organisational outcomes, particularly when 38% of respondents said short-notice absence has a severe impact on their operations.

Access to urgent treatment is another concern. Only 42.1% of HR decision-makers said they were confident employees could access urgent dental care within 48 hours if required, while 22.6% were not confident and 20.4% did not know.

Confidence was particularly low among SMEs, with the report finding just 26.1% felt confident employees could obtain urgent care.

Existing dental benefits creating challenges for HR

The findings also suggest simply providing a dental benefit does not necessarily resolve the issue. Among the 564 respondents whose organisations currently provide dental support, 39% cited rising premiums as a frustration with their existing model. Administrative burden was identified by 28%, while 24% cited low utilisation, 24% claims volatility and 22% lack of engagement.

Across the total sample, 19.4% said dental was included within private medical insurance, 14.8% offered an employee-funded cash plan and 12.8% an employer-funded cash plan. Only 5.8% reported having traditional standalone dental insurance.

The findings suggest HR and benefits teams may need to look beyond whether dental is included within a benefits package and consider whether employees can practically access and use that support.

The research identified a further potential blind spot around employee listening.

Almost half (49%) of respondents said employees had not raised concerns, requests or feedback about dental health or access during the previous 12 months.

However, organisations with more active listening mechanisms appeared more likely to identify concerns. Among larger employers, the report found dental issues were being surfaced through anonymous feedback channels, conversations with line managers and employee pulse checks.

The report includes a case study from Operose Health, where free-text responses from employees repeatedly highlighted difficulties accessing dental treatment despite the organisation already having other wellbeing support in place.

Paul Rushton, director of people and culture at Operose Health, said employees had consistently reported that accessing dental care was becoming more difficult, leading the organisation to introduce additional support through Toothfairy.

The case study highlights a broader consideration for wellbeing leaders: the absence of employee complaints does not necessarily demonstrate the absence of a problem, particularly where listening mechanisms do not allow employees to raise issues outside predetermined categories.

Dental benefits may need to be viewed through a productivity lens

Toothfairy argues employers should reconsider dental support as part of wider workforce productivity, wellbeing and EVP strategies rather than treating it as a peripheral benefit. Its research suggests employers should assess not only provision but utilisation, speed of access, administrative burden and the ability to measure outcomes.