Dive Brief:
- With a more holistic view of health and wellness, the relationship between dental health and overall health has been cemented.
- According to Employee Benefits Advisor, dental wellness can provide benefits to employee wellness programs by taking advantage of that connection.
- Dental health and habits, in fact, an often can be indicative of other, often chronic conditions such heart disease or diabetes, according to EBA. Gingivitis and gum disease, for example, has long been suspected as playing a role heart disease.
Dive Insight:
Rene Milligan, group marketing director at AlwaysCare Benefits and Starmount Life Insurance, told EBA that employee wellness programs and related communications often leave dental health out of the picture.
But while the true value of dental insurance is often questioned, voluntary (typically employee-paid) dental insurance plans motivate people, noting that dental insurance beneficiaries are more likely to receive regular dental care and experience greater overall health, according to the National Association of Dental Plans.
With employers looking to build attractive benefit programs, voluntary dental may be a strong addition due to its high perceived value.