Action | Registration and practice of dental assistants |
Stage | NOIRA |
Comment Period | Ended on 11/12/2008 |
I would like to express my strong opposition to expanding DA II duties to include scaling. Over the course of the dental hygiene curriculum, students are taught that they are healthcare providers, not simply clinicians who scale calculus. Before you ever pick up a sharp instrument and use it in a patient's mouth, there are many things you need to know, including how to properly assess a medical history, oral pathology, oral anatomy, pharmacology, risk factors for caries and periodontal disease, just to name a few. I see no reason to train someone to perform supragingival scaling only. When would this be appropriate? My fear is that patients will receive a supragingival cleaning only, leaving subgingival deposits. The general public will not know the difference. They will not know what kind of cleaning they are receiving. It is your responsibility to act on behalf of the public. You do know the difference. You know the possible complications. Consider this, if it were you..or your spouse...or your child, who would you want to be doing the scaling?