A Rockville, Md.-based dental insurance company is partnering with Prudential Financial’s group insurance business to make its dental plans available.

Prudential will leverage Group Dental Service’s network of more than 130,000 provider locations as it enables its employer groups the increasingly important opportunity to bundle dental insurance along with life, disability and long-term care insurance.

Lori High

Prudential will initially offer preferred provider and indemnity dental options to employers with plans covering fewer than 1,000 employees and said it expects to begin offering quotes to clients and producers in the second quarter of the year for new business beginning in the third quarter, according to a statement. In time, the offering should reach larger plans, officials said.

“To provide a top notch and highly desirable dental product, we sought out a strategic partner that would allow us to offer clients a strong dental network, state of the art systems and experienced staff,” said Lori High, president of Prudential’s Group Insurance business, in a statement.

She added that Prudential liked GDS’ specialization in “private-label programs” with a staff experienced in administering large programs.

GDS President Ethan Foxman said he was “excited” by the partnership, which also employs his company’s administrative capacities, including its network management and claim payment services.

GDS, a provider of managed dental care services, was formed in 1965 by a pair of dentists and is now an affiliate of Coventry Health Care.

Newark, N.J.-based Prudential’s group insurance business manufactures and distributes group life, long-term and short-term group disability, long-term care, and corporate and trust-owned life insurance in the U.S. to institutional clients primarily for use in connection with employee and membership benefits plans.