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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Arif Ahmed, BDS, PhD, MSPH, Nancy E. Day, PhD, and Erin K. Nelson, BA. H. W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration, University of Missouri - Kansas City, 5100 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110, (816) 235-2319, ahmedar@umkc.edu

Despite strong evidence linking oral health with general health and realization of the importance of good dental coverage for employee welfare and productivity, employer provided dental benefits in the U.S. are dwindling. Only a third of all employees in private firms receive employer-provided dental benefits today. Both the number of firms offering and the number of employees choosing dental benefits have declined in recent years. This decline has significant public health ramifications as dental insurance increases the likelihood that one has a usual source of dental care and makes timely preventive dental visits. There is little empirical data about the value of dental benefit as an attraction and retention tool, the role it plays in employment decisions, and if good dental care is seen as a contributor to overall health and firm productivity by key benefit decision makers. As part of a wider stream of studies of benefits stakeholders, in this study we focus on jobseekers' perspectives and preferences regarding dental benefits and the role it plays in their employment decision processes. The study population consists of a nonprobability sample of jobseekers completing degrees at an urban university. Data collection is done through a 27-item self-administered paper-and-pencil questionnaire and six-month follow up telephone interviews of the participants. This paper delineates the current state of jobseekers' dental benefit preferences and value of dental benefits in their employment decisions. It also highlights the implications of these trends for access to dental care and the dental benefits market.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participants will be able to

• Identify the current trends in dental benefits preferences among jobseekers.
• Describe whether and how jobseekers include dental benefits offerings in their decision process when choosing a job.
• Describe whether and how jobseekers’ dental needs and oral health beliefs affect their choice of employer.
• Discuss the policy and market implications of jobseekers’ dental benefit preferences.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered