Dental Benefits for Your Employees

Dental insurance provides important benefits that employees value.  In 2018, 79% of the U.S. population had dental benefits, the majority of which were sponsored by employers, according to the NADP 2019 Dental Benefits Report: Enrollment. The 2018 NADP Survey of Employers indicates employers also recognize the desirability of dental benefits as 87% of those surveyed feel dental benefits are essential or a differentiator.

When dental insurance is offered by an employer, dental benefits have strong employee participation.  Sixty-eight (68%) percent of eligible employees enroll in dental benefits when offered by an employer, which is the highest participation rate when compared to other non-medical benefits, according to the LIMRA Trends in Dental Insurance, published in May 2019.

Need additional evidence?

  • Learn how an ounce of prevention is worth a pound a cure: Oral health treatments can detect more than 100 different diseases based on symptoms found in the mouth. These range from conditions like cancer and diabetes to nutritional deficits and gluten allergies. (Source:  SimpleMost 12/11/2018)  According to a study by Dominion National, Capital BlueCross and Geneia, people with chronic health conditions such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease who received preventive dental care covered by Capital BlueCross’ BlueCross DentalSM benefits were found to have fewer costly emergency room visits and hospital stays. Preventive dental care is an effective measure to control your medical costs.
  • Increase productivity and absence management: A study found that in one year alone, adults lose more than 164 million hours of work per year due to dental diseases.  Offering dental benefits encourages employees to seek out preventive care early on and avoids workers taking off for unplanned illnesses.  (Source: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research: Oral Health in America). According to the 2019 NADP Consumer Survey, more individuals with dental coverage (75%) visited the dentist in the last six months than individuals without dental coverage (47%).
  • Leverage the tools to attract and retain top talent: Finding and keeping the right talent for your organization is crucial to its success.  And while you may already believe you offer a competitive benefit package, a study from Bamboo HR shows that 74% of employees want better benefits.  In a market where leading organizations offer months of paid sick leave, chair massages and bring -your-dog-to-work days, offering important benefits is no longer an option.  Harvard Business Review found more than 80% of employees would rather have better benefits than a pay raise. And, employees value dental coverage as it is the #1 benefit employees want following medical.
  • Increase employee loyalty/lower costs for replacement: A happy employee is a loyal employee. A Metlife study found that half of all employees said that a benefit plan customized to their needs would increase loyalty.  A Harvard study found that when placing importance on 17 various benefits in a survey, 88% of employees listed health and dental as the most important benefit of the company when choosing a job.

In conclusion, dental coverage continues to be a valuable, important benefit offering for employees that improves health, lowers costs and can help you attract and retain the right talent. Need help finding the right plan for your organization? View the Find a Dental Plan directory on NADP.org.