As the NHS pilots new dental contracts, issues in NHS dental care could result in the resurgence of dental payment plans. Henry Clover discusses the future of dental and the challenges that lie ahead
Patients want the best quality treatment for the least amount of money; professionals want the best quality treatment for the most amount of money; and the Treasury want best quality treatment for the most income but for the least amount of investment.
Therefore, it seems likely that issues surrounding NHS access will continue to be a topic of concern for the foreseeable future. So where do we go from here?
Dental payment plans as an employee benefit – whether fully or part funded – provide an ideal opportunity to provide regular dental care at an affordable level.
Costs for a dental plan with Denplan start from as little as £4 per employee, per month and some providers offer a wide range of value-added services for both companies and employees, not to mention broker-specific benefits.
It also allows employers to fulfil their duty of care, increase employee retention, and reduce the risk of employee illness through regular check-ups.
PERILS OF POOR ORAL HEALTH
This may sound a little far-fetched, but research has defined links between gum disease and a range of systemic inflammatory diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.
In addition, poor oral health has also been associated with poor pregnancy outcomes such as an increased risk of premature births or low birth-weight babies, osteoporosis and – more recently – memory loss, including Alzheimer’s.
Dr. Nozomi Okamoto, of Nara Medical University in Japan, said: “Infections in the gums that can lead to tooth loss may release inflammatory substances, which in turn enhances brain inflammation that causes neuronal death and hastens memory loss.”
There are also 5,000 new cases of mouth cancer diagnosed every year, resulting in one death every five hours.
That is a 41% increase in cases in the past decade, mainly due to factors including smoking, alcohol and poor diet.
The mortality rate for mouth cancer is extremely high – 70% of terminal cases are due to a late diagnosis.
Regular dental attendance can drastically reduce this number as mouth cancer and many other diseases have early warning signs in the mouth that can be detected by a dentist.
Poor oral health can affect people’s ability to eat, socialise, speak and sleep which, in turn, affects their working lives and emotional wellbeing.
Therefore, providing a dental benefit can achieve more than just fulfilling an organisation’s duty of care requirements.
They can cover both of these areas by offering the specialist support of dental professionals, and the physical and psychological benefit of having better oral health.
