This has stayed consistent over many years with almost one in three claims paid to members for musculoskeletal issues.
Over the last seven years there have been, on average, 250 new claims for musculoskeletal disorders every year, including general back pain, lumbar problems, sciatica, spondylitis and prolapsed intervertebral discs.
“It’s no surprise musculoskeletal issues are very common for dentists,” explains Bryan Gross, head of claims and underwriting at Dentists’ Provident. “What is surprising is that people assume that musculoskeletal problems are an age related issue, but in reality our experience shows that they can occur at any time. We regularly hear accounts of rapid onset back pain – one day you’re happily caring for patients, the next day the pain hits and you’re barely able to move. Many musculoskeletal conditions can also be prevented with the right support and guidance from healthcare professionals.”
The 2015 claims included a dentist in their late 30s who was paid benefits of over £12,000 for a herniated disc over the three months they were off work.
Psychiatric disorders are also one of the biggest reasons that cause time away from surgery and represent around 15 per cent of all claims paid by Dentists’ Provident last year.
One member not long qualified, has been off work so far for over a year suffering with depression and has been paid almost £25,000, while a dentist in their 40s suffered work related stress and was off work for eight months. Last year alone £260,000 was paid out for claims for depression.
Overall, some of the key facts for 2015 were that the total number of claims was 1,286 with an average of 107 a month, all totalling £4.2m paid. Ten per cent of working members’ claimed, with an average age of 47 and short term claims averaging 19 days. The average individual claim paid was £3,250 with the largest individual claim being £62,400.
An overwhelming majority of the claims were for conditions that would not be covered by other protection products, like critical illness or life insurance.
For more information please see the website at www.dentistsprovident.co.uk/about-dentists-provident/key-performance-indicators/