Bust The Myths About Children’s Dental Care

By Amy Marko

While the general public acknowledges the importance of oral health, many Americans are still not connecting dental health to overall health or its value in lowering health care costs. The effect could be a reduction in children’s dental health.

Insurance agents and brokers can help do something about it, however, simply by working to boost group clients’ dental plan enrollment.

According to an American Dental Association (ADA) study, 95 percent of respondents agreed regular dental appointments are essential to their health, yet only 37 percent reported actually visiting a dentist within the last year.

The lack of urgency around preventive dental care trickles down to children, and is further fueled by misconceptions about pediatric dental care.

However, health benefit advisors can help close the dental wellness gap by distributing small bits of dental communication throughout the year leading up to enrollment.

A great time to start busting these misconceptions is during Children’s Dental Health Month in February.

The reality of children’s dental health

Kids with private dental coverage typically receive dental care earlier than those with public or no coverage. But it appears not to be early enough.

More than half of children ages two to four years old – regardless of household income level – are less likely to have seen a dentist compared to older children. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends regular dental appointments after the first erupted tooth or by age one. Yet many parents wait until their children are much older to schedule their first dental visit.

Some parents are unaware of the common oral problems in toddlers and young children that, when ignored, can lead to major dental procedures. Some oral problems can follow kids as they grow and potentially result in even higher dental costs later.

In Pediatric Dentistry’s 2015 clinical article, “Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Age One Dental Visit for the Privately Insured,” the annual cost for children who receive dental care by age one is significantly less compared to children whose regular dental care is delayed until they are older.

Children’s Dental Health Month tries to raise public awareness about the reality of children’s dental health while dispelling pediatric dental myths, such as toddlers do not need regular dental exams or only sugary foods cause cavities. The ADA produces lots of great content on the importance of family dental health, including how to care for children’s teeth and start great dental habits early.

Health benefit professionals can incorporate this content into their regular client communications for a powerful enrollment message and call to action to use preventive benefits, especially for young children.

Reiterate the dental message

The “Global Employee Benefits Watch 2016/2017 Report” found that employees are more likely to engage with relevant communication distributed over a period of time, using multiple channels. The right message for children’s oral health can be easy to find.

As one of the sponsors for Children’s Dental Health Month, the ADA provides multiple resources on its website from posters to news articles about pediatric dental health. Also, dental carriers can be a wonderful source of employee communication, including highly effective visual communication.

Brokers can amplify the wellness message by encouraging their group clients to use short and concise communications from these resources. The dental message should be repeated and distributed through multiple channels, as employees have different preferences for receiving news and benefits communication.

The goal is to motivate the audience to adapt proactive health behaviors while tying back to dental benefits.

All the necessary tools to become an advocate of pediatric oral health are already available through the ADA’s public awareness campaign. Brokers just have to share the message.

As a trusted health benefits advisor, your insights and guidance about children’s dental health will provide a better understanding of general dental health and reinforce the advantages of dental benefits. In turn, this approach will strengthen your client relationships as you offer your expertise and empathy for the wellbeing of employees and their families, and it may even increase dental plan participation during your next open enrollment.

Amy Marko is the senior vice president of dental and vision products and professional relations for Starmount, Unum Group’s dental and vision center of expertise. Amy may be contacted at [email protected].

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