Bupa expands dental benefits to cover cost of PPE

Bupa dental insurance is covering the cost of additional PPE for dental appointments as part of a package of enhancements to its dental insurance schemes.

New guidelines for reopening of dental practices require dentists to implement additional safety measures including all patients, clinical and practice teams wearing enhanced PPE to minimise the risk of cross contamination during treatments. Due to rising costs, many practices are passing the additional costs onto customers, potentially adding £25 to £45 to patient charges.

Bupa said its dental insurance was now covering the exceptional costs of PPE for treatment up to customers’ benefit limits until the end of 2020.

In addition, the insurer has added virtual dental assessments and remote emergency support to its list of dental insurance benefits.

Using camera and video technology, the new services will enable dentists to assess images remotely and suggest care and treatment options. 

Dental insurance customers who are midway through treatment or have an emergency can also access remote emergency dental support via telephone or a video appointment.

Director of Bupa dental insurance Richard Norris said: ‘We have seen demand for remote access services expand exponentially during Covid-19, and we are continuing to look at ways that we can provide continued care for our customers. We have introduced these new dental insurance benefits to ensure customers don’t delay seeking help for dental health worries, because it means leaving home to get help or having difficulty getting a face to face appointment.  Whatever the dental concern, whether emergency or routine, we want to help our patients get the care they need.

‘We’re also supporting our customers by contributing to additional PPE costs up to policy benefit limits to provide peace of mind for those needing face to face treatment.’