Poor dental health costs employers $54 billion a year. Here’s how to fix it

According to the World Health Organization Global Burden of Disease Study 2017, it’s estimated that 3.5 billion people globally suffer from oral diseases – many of which are preventable through proper oral care, diet and access to dental health services. The benefit of good oral health goes beyond our teeth and gum health; oral disease is linked to other systemic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease – and could play a key role in disease prevention as well.

In most countries, dental care is often not included in basic health insurance packages and must be covered out-of-pocket or as an add-on insurance cost. This makes the preventative power of oral health costly for individuals, who often choose not to purchase dental coverage and only visit their dentist for emergencies.

Without access to regular dental services, patients are left with untreated inflammation and pain which increases the risk of periodontal disease and other systemic complications. In turn, the economic impact of unmanaged oral health adds up to an estimated $54 billion loss of productivity for employers, largely due to absence from work.

However, we can reduce these numbers by ensuring that dental insurance is better integrated into universal healthcare coverage, rather than as an add-on.

It’s important to note that while this integration is not the only solution to lowering the cost of care and expanding access, it could make a sizeable difference. Data from the World Health Survey shows the global disparity in oral healthcare coverage, from 64.6% uncovered people in low-income countries to 18.2% uncovered people in high-income countries – underscoring the need for greater coverage across the socio-economic spectrum.

One change that’s already underway is in healthcare policies globally, reorienting oral health within the overall healthcare industry. Last year, the WHO made a step forward with its historic resolution on oral health, the agreement among member states that oral healthcare interventions should be included in universal health coverage programmes. This is just the start of a timely shift from curative medicine to preventative health – but policy alone is not enough to drive this forward.

The reorientation of oral health within universal health also requires stronger partnerships across the entire system, between private and public healthcare sectors, dental practices, and insurance providers to improve public health at scale. Even within the industry, there’s an opportunity to bridge the gap between dental and medical communities to partner up in proactive wellness, rather than drawing lines between healthcare vs oral care – which has been the traditional norm.

Imagine that your basic health insurance package includes a dental cleaning and check-up every six months. During your oral exam, you also have a few non-invasive vital measures taken – like blood pressure, pulse rate and respiratory rate. These vitals are shared automatically with your trusted GP who can easily, remotely monitor your health trends over time from your data. Then, during your exam, your dentist detects early signs of periodontitis – also known as gum disease.

Because periodontal diseases are also potentially associated with other systemic diseases, your dentist could then flag this for your GP to check up on and monitor as well. Later, when you visit your GP, they can pull up your dental records and notes, and enact early preventative measures as needed.

This ideal scenario is happening in small pockets with very select medical and dental practices, but large-scale change requires greater partnership and economic incentives across the system.

The impact of good oral health on managing and preventing systemic health issues rose to the forefront last year with the WHO’s resolution, but it’s up to all of us, collectively to leverage this momentum to drive long-term improvements. We could first start with shedding the legacy mindset that oral healthcare is supplemental but instead fully integrating it into people’s preventative health journey, global health systems and payer economics – resulting in a net positive for us all.