Every day, more and more companies are putting greater focus on employee health and offering employee wellness programs as part of their benefits package. Dental health is a critical component in the success of any wellness program, but is often not included in such wellness programs.
Creating a work environment that encourages wellness is not only good for the employees, it’s also a benefit for the employer. The indirect costs of poor health, such as missing work and low productivity, can be 2-3 times higher than direct medical costs. This means that employee wellness programs help to improve the overall bottom line of the company.
Wellness programs are designed to help employees adopt behaviors that reduce health risks. These might include gym memberships to encourage exercise, or consultations with nutritionists to encourage healthy eating.
Wellness Programs and Oral Health Inclusion
Delta Dental believes these programs should insure employees are also encouraged to brush and floss daily and see a dentist regularly. Many employee wellness programs do not include an oral health component. Here are just a few compelling reasons why we believe they should:
- Taking care of oral health is important since it is interconnected to your overall good health.
- Poor oral health can lead to diseases. For example, gum disease is linked to diabetes.
- Many acute and chronic illnesses such as kidney disease and anemia can be identified in the course of routine dental exams.
- Tooth decay and gum disease can be avoided with good preventive oral care.
- Improving employee energy and productivity may be as simple as encouraging employees to keep up with their oral health and rewarding them for doing so.
Delta Dental provides an extensive online library and video collection to help everyone know how to do their part to maintain good oral health.
Visit www.deltadentalnj.com/DentalCentral to learn more.
Start with the oral risk assessment, along with the many tools available to enhance any employee wellness program. Here’s the bottom line on your company’s bottom line: Wellness programs that promote good oral health have employees that spend less time in the dentist’s office and more time on the job. That’s a solid return on your investment!
Empowering employees to take good care of their health is good for business, and when you add dental care to your wellness program, you’ve really got something to smile about.
For further information, visit us at
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- Twitter: @deltadentalNJ
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/deltadentalnj
