As a patient. I would object to transferring responsibilities for scaling from a trained dental hygienist to a dental assistant.  Deep cleaning can involve different tools including ultrasonic instruments and hand instruments and the choice of tools and the degree of scaling involved requires a knowledge far beyond simply the utilization of a tool.  A dental hygienist has more extensive classroom training and on-the-job experience to determine what condition a person's mouth and body is in and what procedures are warranted.  In the wrong hands, pathogens can be spread throughout the body and people with heart conditions and other medical conditions could be put in jeopardy. If dental assistants are to be givien this additional assignment will they be held legally liable for any possible negative consequence and if so will they be compelled to purchase additional liability insurance?  I also have to wonder exactly when the dentist or dental hygienist are going to have the time to provide the necessary training to the dental assistant. 

What is the rationale for this change? It doesn't seem to be focusing on the well-being of the patient. Why have licensing requirements and formal academic training for hygienist if you are going to start chipping away at responsibilities and adopt a pseudo dental apprentice programs? And if you are going this route then are you not then obligated to protect the public by compelling these dental assistants who are trained by the dentist to be tested and certified as acceptable "scalers"?  If dental assistants are to become dental hygienists then will you then be allowing dental hygienist to become dentists? Where is this transformation of the dentistry ultimately leading?