I oppose  assistants scaling.  Hygienists are trained to look for conditions that may turn into problems.  A  "cleaning appt"  is not just scaling.  It is also a cancer , periodontal, caries and oral hygiene exam.   A Type 1 case can easily turn into a type 2 in 3-6 months.    Hygienists also  are required to complete so many hours of continuing ed a year.  Are the assisstants going to be required to keep current?  are they going to take a board exam  similar to the one a hygienists takes..  Although there are many fantastic assistants  this is just a bad idea.  They should be training to keep up on all  new procedures that the dentist is providing for his patients   in stead of learning to "scale"