Dentist's chair could help ward off some costly health claims - HR Update News that Works - Brief Article

HR Magazine, Jan, 2003 by Terence F. Shea

If dental insurance comes across to you as a nonessential expense at a time when your health benefits package already costs too much, some dental-health experts would like you to look at it from a different perspective. Employees who have good dental coverage and use it stand a good chance of staving off some health problems that eventually could result in big-ticket claims, says Dr. Sally Cram.

Cram, a Washington, D.C., periodontist who serves as consumer adviser for the Chicago-based American Dental Association, says studies indicate, for example, that gum disease can cause some diabetics trouble in managing their condition. It also can lead to development of cardiovascular disease in people with a family history of that illness, she says, and it increases health risks for smokers by further suppressing a weakened immune system.

Perhaps the most immediate risk of serious medical complications from gum disease, however, arises with pregnant women. Cram says the disease, through its effects on certain chemicals released during pregnancy, puts pregnant women at "a seven-times-greater risk of a premature delivery or a low-birth-weight baby."