It's long been our most requested feature, and finally, it's available! YuLife has teamed up with Bupa to offer business leaders group dental insurance for their employees. The Bupa x YuLife dental package offers 5 different cover levels that cover the costs of:routine check-ups preventative and restorative dental workdental injuriesemergencies oral cancer treatmentYuLifers can opt to have dental treatment at either an NHS practice or at a private clinic, and can make claims immediately for most preventative dental treatments. So why is group dental insurance important? Why should employers provide it? And how does it work in practice with YuLife? Let's look at each of these points in turn.Why is dental insurance important?Dental insurance is a crucial benefit because both public and private dentistry are out of the reach of many people in the UK right now. NHS wait times are typically long and unrealistic, with Healthwatch England reporting up to three-year wait times for an appointment, and six weeks for emergency care. In 2022, 9 out of 10 NHS dental practices across the UK are not accepting new adult patients for NHS treatment, 8 out of 10 NHS practices are not taking on children, and one-third of the UK's top-tier councils have no dentists taking on adult NHS patients.Private dental practices offer faster access to services, but can become expensive very quickly – with a simple check-up costing more than £100. This means that the type of dental treatment people are choosing has more to do with their available budget than their true health needs. A shocking 42% of people say they either struggle to pay for dental treatment or avoid it entirely because they can’t afford the cost. And as inflation and interest rates continue to bite, that proportion is only likely to rise further.Yet dental health is not an optional lifestyle choice, it’s a vital part of healthcare. Apart from the direct pain and suffering caused by tooth decay and gum disease, problems in your mouth can affect the rest of the body too. For example, people with gum disease are almost twice as likely to have heart disease than people without it (which may be due to bacteria moving from the mouth into the bloodstream). Poor oral health has also been linked to other serious conditions, such as stroke, diabetes and respiratory disease.It's not surprising, then, that dental insurance is the most requested product by existing YuLifers – with over 50% of members calling for this type of cover. Why should employers provide dental insurance?But why should businesses care? At YuLife, we believe that employers have a vested interest in the health and wellbeing of their employees. Poor health among staff leads to poor productivity, unreliability, absenteeism, and ultimately high turnover. And that issue has been magnified in the wake of the 'Great Resignation' of 2021, which has made it increasingly challenging to attract and retain top talent. Group Dental Insurance offers a great way for companies to recruit and hold on to valued employees by showing an interest in their financial wellbeing, and their overall health – especially in an increasingly competitive market. According to a joint YuLife and YouGov survey, 49% of adults believe it’s an employer's responsibility to improve employees’ sense of financial wellbeing beyond legal obligations. That figure jumps to 64% amongst 18- to 24-year-olds, and to 69% amongst 25- to 34-year-olds.As a benefit, dental insurance can be seen as a 'two-for-one': helping with both employees' physical and financial health. And any company that sees attracting top talent as a priority will find it provides a great return on investment.How YuLife dental insurance works To meet the needs of both employers and employees, YuLife is now offering group dental insurance in partnership with Bupa. Businesses whose employees are signed up to YuLife can now add the Bupa Dental Plan to their package, integrating it with their group life insurance, the YuLife app, and other YuLife services.Because every company is different, The Bupa Dental Plan offers a flexible approach to pricing, with five different levels of cover available. Firms have the choice of funding all employees to the same cover level, funding different cover levels for different employee groups, or funding a base level of cover for all employees, and allowing them to upgrade individually. YuLifers can opt to have dental treatment at either an NHS practice or a private clinic, and can make claims immediately for most preventative dental treatments. At selected practices in the Bupa Dental Insurance Network, employees can settle their claim instantly at the desk, paid up to benefit limits. At other practices, they'll need to pay for treatment upfront, then claim back their money. But doing so is easy and quick, with no claim wait times: YuLifers can claim straight from the start date of their treatment. YuLifers can make claims online or by post, at any time within 12 months of the treatment date. As long as they provide all the necessary details, YuLifers will get their money returned straight to their bank accounts within 7 to 10 working days.For more information, visit our group dental insurance page.