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How To Improve Dental Health - and Employee Productivity
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Business New Haven
11/12/2001
By:
Mitchell Young
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Since the general introduction of employer-paid (or -supported) health insurance more than 40 years ago, employers have reaped the benefits of a healthier workforce. And while the group exercise programs of the Japanese model may not have taken hold here, health and dental insurance, health education, fitness, personal days, long-term care and counseling programs have become central to the personnel practices of a growing number of successful companies.
Why? Good health is an obvious prerequisite for optimum employee performance. Health problems on the part of an employee or his/her family can lead to stress, financial problems or acute illness, all resulting in lowered productivity and increased absenteeism.
Recently the role of good oral health is becoming better understood as part of that “holistic” view.
In a May 2000 report, U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher declared dental and oral diseases a “silent epidemic” in America. His report, commissioned by then-Health & Human Services Secretary Donna E. Shalala, also focused on the relationship between oral health and overall good health; the mouth as a “mirror for general health and well-being and the association between oral heath problems and other health problems.”
While dental health is associated with overall health, for many it remains the most neglected aspect of well-being. The costs of that neglect can be serious.
• Some form of periodontal disease affects 75 percent of the U.S. population.
• After age 35, some form of gum disease affects three of four adults.
• Someone is diagnosed with oral cancer every hour in the U.S.
With oral health problems comes an immediate and dramatic impact on the workplace. Dental health advocates cite 164 million lost work hours each year due to poor oral health of employees. Students also lose more than 50 million hours of school time annually - with likely impact on their parent's work schedules.
Unfortunately lack of oral health awareness and costs keep many from addressing oral health needs. While 43 million Americans are without general health insurance, more than 108 million have no dental coverage. Only 60 percent of baby-boomers receive dental insurance through their employers.
Desspite its relative prosperity, the Nutmeg State doesn't fare particularly well on this front, according to an oral health “report card” in USA Today. In it the oral health advocacy group, Oral Health America (OHA), gave Connecticut an overall grade of C-minus.
Categories covered by the report card included prevention (which earned a C-plus) and access to care (a D). Other categories included number of dentists, clinics, dental visits by children and adults, prevalence of oral cancer and dental insurance usage.
According to OHA, a large percentage of the U.S. population suffers from reduced quality of life due to oral and facial pain.
The Surgeon General's report contained at least some good news - continuing improvements in dental health in recent decades.
Widespread fluoridation of municipal water, improved dental treatment options, more preventive dental care and the emergence of dental benefits as a more common workplace benefit contributed to the improvement.
Regular visits to a dentist have other important health impacts. Dental health professionals say more than 120 physical and mental illnesses can be detected by dental examination.
One example: The risk factor for a low-birth-weight baby is seven times greater where periodontal disease is present.
Dental insurance helps employees and employers address both the costs and awareness of improved dental health improvements. Unlike most health coverage, dental insurance has a clear emphasis on preventative treatments and office visits.
To assure that the benefits of an improved dental health are realized, employers should closely evaluate the choices of a dental insurance carrier. Consider the following:
• A comprehensive network of dentists - Employees value access to dentists. Does the plan you're considering offer a variety of dentists to choose from who are easily accessible to your employees?
• Ease of administration - Will the plan increase paperwork, or is it easy to file claims, check on their status, etc.? Does the provider use the Internet for information access to the plan?
• Competitive rates - Are the premiums for the plan you're considering competitive with others in the market?
• Effective cost-containment features - Does the carrier offer programs designed to control costs without sacrificing quality?
Other key features:
• Do subscribers have to complete and submit their own paperwork each time they visit a dentist?
• Does the carrier guarantee that participating dentists won't “balance bill” your employees?
• Can the plan accommodate you if you have employees in more than one state, and how will such claims be processed?
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