Spectera, a Woodlawn health benefits company, announced yesterday that it has sold its dental plans to PacificDental Benefits of California. The sale will help Spectera expand its eye-care plans and its business managing patient care, said David T. Hall, Spectera's chief executive officer. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

All dental plan employees, most of whom are in Texas, will be retained by PacificDental, said Sue Cox, Spectera vice president. She said the number of jobs at Spectera's headquarters, now 200, will not change.

She said the 190,000 dental plan members will continue to receive the same benefits and services. Most members are in the Houston area; about 10,000 are in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia.

Cox said Spectera will push its expansion efforts, particularly in eye-care plans, through acquisitions and internal growth. She said Spectera recently opened an office in California as part of its West Coast expansion.

The company owns the United Optical stores and Crown Optical Laboratory in Baltimore, which manufactures eyeglasses.

Pub Date: 7/31/98