Prudential to discontinue the sale of dental insurance

Prudential Group Insurance announced yesterday that it would discontinue the sale of dental insurance which the division offers chiefly to the small-group market.

Prudential Group Insurance, a business of Prudential Financial Inc., (NYSE:PRU) Newark, NJ, will continue to service existing clients until their next contract renewal anniversary dates when Prudential will decline to offer a dental insurance renewal, subject to regulatory notice requirements.

The decision to stop offering dental insurance is emblematic of the times. Many large carriers have begun to concentrate on their core strengths while winnowing out more supplementary lines of business in order to focus their efforts and resources on their most profitable and identifiable products. A Prudential spokesman cautioned that they do not have any plans to discontinue other products at this time.