Action | Registration and practice of dental assistants |
Stage | NOIRA |
Comment Period | Ended on 11/12/2008 |
I cannot overstate my opposition to this proposal to allow a minimally trained technician to practice dentistry on an ususpecting patient. Virginia already has a category of an educated, trained, and licensed person to perform this vital preventive treatment, the RDH.
To allow a DA II to pracice dentistry using a sharp instrument in the mouth of an unsuspecting patient is more than a bad idea. I dooubt that any Virginia dentist would admit to his unsuspecting patient that the non RDH he is permitting to treat his patient is in fact a very minimally trained DA. The fee will undoubtedly be the same as if a competent licensed RDH were treating the patient.
Patients deserve to have licensed professionals treating them, not a supervised minimally trained technicians. I do not believe this is an access to care issue, rather an explloitation of a minimally trained DA II to enchance the bottom line. If a dental assistant wishes to practice dental hygient, there are educational programs available.