Impediments to the Growth of Dental Insurance among Insurance Companies

Background: Increased dental health care cost, coupled by increased poverty in resource poor countries and Africa in particular has led to poor oral health status among other factors, due to low utilization of dental health care facilities. Introduction of dental insurance has been shown to improve the oral health status of a population through increased utilization of dental care facilities. However, dental insurance coverage is very poor and the number of companies willing to give such cover is not known but thought to be very low. Objectives: To study the level of dental insurance offered, reasons for lack of its promotion, and problems faced by insurance companies hindering its promotion in Kenya. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Nairobi which is the capital, government headquarters, and economic centre. All the registered insurance companies in Kenya (N=38)were recruited to the study. Sales and marketing executives were interviewed using a self administered questionnaire at their registered offices centered on existence, type and level of dental insurance offered and problems hindering its promotion. Results: Altogether 84.2% of companies listed for recruitment took part in the study. Majority of the companies studied (81.3%) did not offer dental insurance whereas only 18.8% offered, but only to groups through their employers. 57.7% of the companies that did not offer dental insurance claimed it was unprofitable, 46.2% cited company policy, 38.2% cited administration cost, and 70% of the companies gave it least priority, 57.1% cited low government incentive while 25% indicated high cost of dental treatment. Conclusion: The main reasons cited for non-promotion of dental insurance were non-profitability, lack of interest due to company policy, low government incentive and lack of sufficient information by the dental profession needed to formulate good dental plans and low priority given compared to other forms of insurance.