I urge the Board of Dentistry to vote 'no' to allowing the DA II to provide scaling on Class I patients.  Considering that the 'mission' statement of the Virginia Department of Health Professions is to 'enhance the delivery of safe and competent health care' , why would you even consider such a move that will surely lower the standard of delivering safe and competent health care?  A previous post stated that a high school graduate with 2 years experience as a DA would qualify to sit for the exam.  Assuming that is true, what are the standards for the dentist who is training that DA?  To put it in more practical terms, who would you rather have scale your teeth - a dental hygienist with a college education or a dental assistant who has been 'trained' by a dentist? In my 35 years of practicing dental hygiene, I have seen precious few dentists who are proficient at scaling.  Our patients deserve nothing less than our own personal expectations and standard of care.  This practice would not only jeopardize the periodontal health of the patient, but the general health of the patient as well.