Allowing non credentialed practitioners to advertise as specialists would put the public at great risk. The elimination of the current regulations on advertising as a dental specialist would seem to fall under the prohibition on deceptive advertising. The public up until this time has assumed that anyone with the designation of a specialist is in fact a dental specialist having undergone rigorous postdoctoral education in an accredited institution. There is no way that the public would now think otherwise and thus would be deceived. In this present regulation there is nothing to protect the public. It only promotes the ability of anyone to say that they are specialist without any regard to training, competency, or ability. Who will be the benefactors of this regulation change?  Certainly not the public. I strongly oppose this change as it is not in the best interest of the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia.