To My esteemed members of the Virginia Board of Dentistry,

I am writing to you today to humbly ask that the petition for the OJT pathway for dental assistants to become DAIIs in Virginia be denied.  I am in favor of having more dental auxillaries in the work force so that quality care can be more assessible to patients, but we need to make sure the quality of care provided is not jeopardized over quantity.  I have been saying for quite some time now, that the lack of uniform training among dental assistants in Virginia is a problem, but at least with DAIIs, thanks to the regulations that have been in place, requiring CODA accredited schooling, by unbiased professionals with proven teaching skills, the quality of care has been standard.   Patients deserve to know that no matter who they see in the dental office, they are being cared for by the most highly trained individual. A dental assistant who wishes to become expanded functions should also be willing to take the courses necessary to learn not only the how's but the whys and science behind what they are doing.  Doctors just do not have the time, and some do not have the teaching ability, to dive that deep into the science.  When I went though the courses I needed for my license,  the textbooks used were the same textbooks several of my doctors used when they were in dental school.  We studied the science behind the practice, and learned not just that A, B, and C were done, but why it was important to do A, B, and C, and even the techniques behind it.  The science taught in the formal school setting, from the head and neck anatomy to tooth histology, to the biochemistry behind how the bonding of resin composite to teeth works, just can't be taught OJT, but is necessary for the dental assistant to be competent in what he or she does.  In the nursing field, licensure is necessary from CNA to LPN to RN to BSN and higher.  They take standardized, uniform classes and exams.  As patients we can be cared for by those professionals with confidence that a certain level of education was earned.  As Dental professionals, we are healthcare providers too. 

Thank you for your time,

Michelle Fisher, CDA, CPFDA, CRFDA, RDAII