Dental health crisis hitting women the hardest, says report

The report from the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI) is part of its Dental Health Matters campaign.

The NFWI carried out a survey between Autumn 2024 to January 2025, revealing the lived experiences of over 900 women living in England and Wales. The survey revealed that many women are forced to pay for private dentistry for family members, forgoing dental care for themselves. Also, some women spoke of visiting A&E for dental pain and infections due to a failure in preventive care.

Respondents also spoke of travelling abroad to receive dental care as it was more accessible and cheaper.

‘First of its kind’
The research is the first of its kind to highlight that a lack of NHS dental services is having devastating, but also gendered, consequences on society. According to the NFWI, women are often the designated primary caregivers for their families and are therefore navigating the dental health service as carers, often sacrificing their own health to support their loved ones.