Dear Board members:

Please do not allow the change to the Regulations to allow dental assistants to scale teeth.  This change will do nothing to alleviate the perceived shortage of oral hygiene services and will reduce the standard of care in the Commonwealth.  There is no need for a lower tier of oral hygiene services. 

Do our patients want a standard that suggests "good enough for government work"?  Comparing the training of a DA II to that of a military prophy tech is not fair to - nor would it meet the standrard of care for - the general public.  A prophy tech's job is to prepare and maintain miltary pesonnel for combat readiness, not to offer comprehensive oral hygiene care, which is a service every patient in private practice should be afforded.

I am also concerned that there is no wording in the NOIRA about how many DA II personnel will be allowed to be supervised by each dentist.  If each dentist is only allowed two hygienists under her/his supervision at once, how many DA I/II will be allowed to perform these services, regardless of whether or not they are performing oral prophylaxes?

Thank you for your time.

Marty Anne Robertson RDH