Dental insurer United Concordia has a new contract to provide services for nearly 113,000 eligible employees and retirees of the state of Maryland.

Under the terms of a five-year contract, the Harrisburg, Pa.-based insurer will be the exclusive carrier of both DPPO and DHMO insurance for Maryland workers.

Dan Lebish, United Concordia chairman and CEO, said his company’s departments have “collaborated to bring innovative solutions and services that were well received by [Maryland].”

“This, combined with fair pricing, an account service team dedicated to excellent customer service, and our extensive dental networks, all helped to secure the contract,” he said in a statement.

This is the fourth consecutive contract awarded to United Concordia since 1997.

Among the programs offered to Maryland employees are the Preventative Incentive and Maternity Dental benefit features, which encourage state employees and retirees to obtain preventative dental care, thereby reducing their risk of developing more serious oral and overall health problems, the insurer said..

United Concordia serves nearly 7.9 million members worldwide and posted 2008 revenues of $1.4 billion.