Access to a good dental plan plays an important role in supporting your employees' health. Giving employees the incentive to visit the dentist regularly helps identify oral health problems and other medical issues before they become painful and costly to resolve. According to The Oral Health Foundation oral health problems are costing the UK economy more than $105 million each year in sick days.

The British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy estimates that more than 45 per cent of adults are affected by gum disease, which increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and pre-term birth, and can complicate symptoms associated with diabetes and other medical conditions. The good news is that gum disease can be prevented or slowed with regular dental care.

Regular dental visits can also lead to early diagnosis of oral cancer which is the sixth most common cancer in the world according to the Royal Marsden NHS Trust.

Despite this, nearly a quarter of people don't have a dentist that they visit regularly. Our research shows that the main reason for this is affordability.

Group dental plans can help address these affordability issues. For employers, providing a dental plan for employees can be a sound investment.

A group dental plan will enable employees to seek regular, preventative dental care. In this way, employer dental insurance can provide a benefit that will help prevent future sickness absence and may even help keep private medical insurance premiums down.

Cigna offers a range of employer dental insurance plans to suit different needs from affordable discounted schemes to comprehensive dental cover