Two fifths of managers would be less likely to bring a colleague to a client meeting if they had bad teeth and 51% of employers in the education sector would be less likely to promote or hire an employee with poor oral health.
But nearly half (49%) of the employers who offer dental perks have noticed a reduction in absence, 48% think they make it easier to control the amount of time staff take off to see the dentist and 41% believe employee engagement increases as a result of staff having dental benefits, according to the Simply Health Annual Dental Survey.
James Glover, corporate director at Simply Health, said: "Over three quarters of consumers believe their chances of career progression are affected by healthy teeth and a nice smile. Our research highlights the value people associate with having good dental health and hygiene, which is not necessarily bad news as it shows people recognise the importance of looking after their teeth.
Nearly two thirds (64%) of employers think dental benefits improve staff morale and 48% of the employers who offer this kind of perk do so because they are concerned about the oral health of employees.
Bad teeth puts prospective employers off and damages an employee's career prospects
A quarter of employers would be less likely to employ or promote a staff member who has bad teeth, although one in four HR managers think staff do not value dental benefits and 63% believe they would be expensive to administer.
