A Year of Growing Need, Greater Reach & Real Change
2025 was a landmark year for our Charity, marked by rising need, powerful stories and an unwavering commitment to supporting the dental community when it matters most.
The demand for help reached its highest level on record. More dental students, refugee dentists, dentists, and their families than ever before turned to us for financial and wellbeing support as the rising cost of living continued to hit hard across the UK.
But the real story of 2025 isn’t only about need.
It’s about the difference we made as a dental community supporting one another.
Making a Difference for the Dental Community
This year saw significant growth across every area of our work, allowing us to support more people, from early‑career students to experienced dentists rebuilding their futures.
Financial Support: Meeting Rising Need
- 221 applications for support: our highest ever and a 20% increase on last year.
- 131 new people applied for financial help (as people apply multiple times across the same year or across different years), with 4 applications processed every week.
- There was a notable shift in who we supported: 44% were asylum seekers or refugee dentists, helped back into the profession to begin practising in the UK. 29% were dentists, 25% were dental students, and 1% dependent family members.
- Applicants ranged from ages 19 to 60, with an average age of 32 years of age.
- Top reasons for requesting support: retraining (i.e. qualifying in the UK), cash‑flow challenges, money‑management struggles.
- Busiest months: July, September, October and November.
Reaching out: Connecting With More Community Than Ever Before
Our visibility and engagement grew dramatically this year:
- Website visits jumped 38%, which is well above the previous year’s 27% rise.
- 137,000 emails shared vital information, resources and support opportunities.
- Social media delivered our biggest increase yet: 19% growth, 769 posts, 156,570 impressions (+342%), 8,142 engagements (+122%).
- Nearly 1,000 dental professionals accessed the Wellbeing Support for Dental Teams guide.
- Dentists also benefited from telephone support, free counselling and access to the Wisdom health & wellbeing portal and app.
If you haven’t yet joined our online community, we’d love to stay connected. Follow our channels or subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed.
Thank you to Our Generous Supporters
None of this would be possible without the people who choose to stand with us.
Donations via our page on the fundraising platform, Wonderful, rose by an incredible 81%, including gifts from individuals, LDCs and organisations.
This highlights how more people are contributing online, ensuring we receive 100% of the donation without fees through a seamless method that also allows us to claim an additional 25% through Gift Aid on eligible donations.
Local Dental Committees once again gave over £100,000, for the fourth consecutive year.
A particularly meaningful moment came with the retirement of Dr Keith Percival, whose colleagues honoured his remarkable career by fundraising for our Charity. His legacy continues to inspire wellbeing across the profession.
Strong Governance
We were delighted to welcome Dr Tony Jacobs, founder of GDPUK, to our Board of Trustees, who was elected at the AGM. At the same time, we expressed sincere thanks upon the resignation of Hira, our first dental student Trustee and the retirement of Menna after three years on the Board.
Proactive Support and Guidance
We continue to highlight insights into different topics affecting those in dentistry. One of our most-read pieces of the year was our interview with Dr Mahrukh Khwaja, who shared her experience of burnout, bullying and cultivating positive mental health across dentistry. If you missed it, we highly recommend giving it a read.
In addition, we shared a very poignant and practical resource from Dr Jessica Burley, through Baby Loss Awareness Week, to support dentists and dental professionals navigating baby loss.
Connecting Face-to-Face
We loved meeting so many of you at the BIDA Dental Showcase in March 2025 and the British Dental Conference & Dentistry Show in May 2025, where many attendees signed up to stay in touch.
Looking ahead, we’re excited to return to the Dentistry Show in May; this time with a very special art exhibition in honour of the late John Ulahannon.
We are also expanding our network of ambassadors to strengthen our outreach. If you’re passionate about supporting the dental community, we would be thrilled to have you involved.
The Human Impact: Real Stories of Strength
Behind every donation is a person whose life has been changed by the support we provide.
In 2025, we shared seven new personal stories of courage, resilience and hope, including:
Lisa, rebuilding life after bereavement
Caitlin, navigating cancer during dental school
Alaia, retraining to begin a new chapter in the UK
These journeys remind us why our work matters and why your support makes such a difference.
As We Look Ahead
Our commitment to safeguarding the wellbeing and financial resilience of the dental community has never been stronger. With your support, we can continue delivering life‑changing help to the people who dedicate their lives to caring for the nation’s oral health.
Your contribution directly fuels this vital work. If you’re able, please consider donating today and helping us to reach even more people in need.
If you’d like to create a legacy that lasts well into the future, you can also use our Free Will Making Service to leave a meaningful gift that will continue supporting our mission for years to come.
Thank you for everything you do and for helping us care for the people who care for the nation’s oral health.
