Investigating the gendered impacts of the dental health crisis (28 May 2025)

Summary

This report from the National Federation of Women’s Institutes looks at the ways in which the UK dentistry crisis disproportionately affects women, based on a survey that obtained over 960 responses.

The central theme of the report is that dental health is a feminist issue. This is partly a matter of biology: for example, in pregnant women, hormonal changes can lead to gingivitis – an inflammation of the gums.

It is also because women take a disproportionate amount of the caring responsibility for children and ageing parents. The report states that with NHS dental appointments becoming harder to obtain, women are bearing financial, temporal, physical, and mental health burdens for not only themselves but also their loved ones. 

Pregnant women and children are entitled to free NHS dental healthcare. But survey respondents reported being unable to find a dentist taking NHS patients to treat them. So some women are turning to private dentistry but are then finding that they are required to pay high bills.

The report makes the point that the lack of available NHS dental healthcare, and the financial burden of private dental care, forces women to choose between their own health and the well-being of their families, further exacerbating inequalities in access to dental healthcare.