Mark Allan, general manager at Bupa Dental Care, discusses the role that dental professionals can play in their patients’ overall wellbeing.
In today’s healthcare landscape, early intervention to prevent the onset of ill-health is more critical than ever. There is increasing evidence that quality, routine dental care is not only the key to oral health, but also that dentists can spot early symptoms for a range of health conditions.
This means that dental professionals play a central role in reducing the pressure on the wider healthcare system and promoting a healthier nation.
Is oral health connected to overall wellbeing?
Our recent research highlights the importance of people knowing the connection between oral health and overall physical and mental wellness. A staggering 85% of people said they didn’t believe that mental health concerns could be related to their dental health. Delving deeper, only 12% knew that poor oral health could contribute to panic attacks, and just 7% were aware of the connection to conditions like bipolar disorder. When it comes to physical conditions, only half of the nation knew the connection between oral health and mouth cancer.
So while people often visit the dentist for concerns like tooth decay or gum disease, it’s clear that the role of dental professionals goes much further. Dentists are often the first line of defence in detecting health worries that manifest in the mouth, such as early signs of diabetes, heart disease, and even menopause.
At Bupa Dental Care, we want to close the knowledge gap. The faster we can diagnose and treat mouth cancer, the better the outcomes for patients. This means integrating dental care more deeply into patients’ overall healthcare journeys.
For example, our specialist pathway for early detection of mouth cancer enables dentists at our London practices to refer patients directly to Cromwell Hospital if they spot a suspicious lesion during a routine check-up. These referrals are often covered by health insurance policies that provide extensive cancer coverage. This prompts a review by a multidisciplinary team within 24 hours, leading to fast-track treatment if needed. This is a significant breakthrough, as we know patients with head and neck cancers experience some of the longest wait times in the UK .
Prevention is vital
Transforming treatment pathways benefits everyone, particularly younger generations. Prevention from an early age is vital to stopping conditions developing before adulthood. This is especially important as new data from NHS England shows that tooth decay remains the leading cause of hospital admissions among five- to nine-year-olds.
It’s not enough to wait until problems become advanced – prevention needs to be integrated into care plans from the start, using collaboration and technology. That’s why this year, we’ve launched new digital tools and care pathways to ensure that everyone, from dentists to doctors, has what they need to provide comprehensive, holistic care for our patients.
This approach reshapes the role of dental care in healthcare, from being considered a cosmetic luxury, to the mouth being a gateway to the body. As a leading dental care provider in the UK, our priority is to help people know the importance of their oral health and, by extension, their overall wellness. With connected care at the heart of our efforts we want to help people live longer, healthier, happier lives.
If you are interested in a career at Bupa Dental Care, visit jobs.bupadentalcare.co.uk.
This article is sponsored by Bupa Dental Care.
