Delta Dental Plan of Indiana.

• Position: Employee health care costs

Employers may be down in the mouth about the increasing cost of workers' comp and employee health care, but paying attention to dental health can make a world of difference.

Employers can team up with employees, dentists and physicians to improve employees' overall health by being alert to the signs and symptoms of disease as they manifest around the mouth and jaw. Increased productivity and decreased health-care costs are two benefits of oral health awareness.

Bacteria can enter the body through the mouth and gums; however, it is less commonly understood that symptoms of cancer, HIV, leukemia, heart disease, hypertension, eating disorders, diabetes, tuberculosis, anemia and hemophilia can be detected during a regular dental visit (see below).

Jack E. Nicewander, D.D.S., of Indianapolis, has seen many medical problems over the years. "It's not typical:' he says, "but I might see mouth lesions which end up being cancerous or bleeding gums which might mean blood problems, such as leukemia. With routine dental X rays, I might detect tumors or even blocked arteries."

People are more aware of potential problems and want early detection, says Nicewander, although they are sometimes hesitant. Recently Nicewander had a patient present with a throat lesion. "I was glad he came in to check it out;' he says. "I would rather check a possible illness than not:' The lesion turned out to be benign.

Some diagnoses are not as straightforward. A young girl visited a dentist's office with a mouth full of canker sores and appeared very pale. The dentist's referral to a physician confirmed that she not only had anemia but Crohn's disease (chronic inflammation of the digestive tract.)

The above examples highlight important lessons. Employees need to communicate health concerns to their health care providers, even if their concerns seem inconsequential and unrelated.

Employees, employers, physicians and dentists should be alert to oral signs and symptoms of disease and should consider themselves collaborative partners in improving and maintaining employee health.

Annual physicals and regular dental care need to be a priority of the "corporate culture" to ensure employee and business well-being.

Delta Dental Plan of Indiana is operated along with Delta Dental Plan of Ohio by a sister organization, Delta Dental Plan of Michigan. The...