How poor oral health is impacting employees’ wellbeing
The scale of the UK’s dental access emergency has never been more acute.
New data from the Office for National Statistics confirms that 96.9% of people without a dentist who tried to access NHS dental care were unsuccessful, with the British Dental Association describing the service as “broken.” In 2026, 1 in 10 UK adults have resorted to self-treatment, including improvised home remedies, when unable to access professional care.
Only two-fifths of the adult population in England saw an NHS dentist in the 24 months up to March 2024, down from just under half of the adult population before the pandemic, with 483 fewer dentists providing NHS care compared to 2019-20. Seven of 42 Integrated Care Board areas have no dental practices accepting new patients.
For working adults, the crisis is compounded by a familiar barrier: the inability to take time away from work for a dental appointment.
By bringing dentistry to where people already are, Toothfairy’s regulatory approved clinical team conduct professional oral health examinations, screening assessments, and consultations directly at employer sites.
“The dental crisis is not going to be solved by waiting for more NHS appointments. People are in pain, they are worried, and they simply cannot get seen. We have the technology, we have the clinical expertise, and we now have approval to go directly to where people spend most of their week: the workplace,” said Dr Deepak Aulak, founder, Tooth Fairy Healthcare Limited.
“For employers, this is one of the most tangible health benefits they can offer their teams. For employees, it could be the first professional dental assessment they have had in years.”
A measurable business case for employers
Updated 2026 clinical guidelines have reinforced the established link between untreated gum disease and systemic conditions including heart disease, diabetes, and early-onset dementia, underscoring the wider productivity and absence cost implications of poor oral health for employers.
Workplace dental programmes represent a proactive, low-friction solution to a risk that has historically gone unaddressed in corporate wellbeing strategies.
Supplied by REBA Associate Member, Toothfairy
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