Unfortunately, the law has passed. The question now is how to implement it safely.

There seems to be considerable confusion about who made this decision. The Board of Dentistry did not expand the duties of dental assistants. The General Assembly did. The Board is now being asked to provide guidance for a change it did not initiate.

This is particularly concerning because dental assistants are not licensed by the Board in the same manner as dentists and dental hygienists. Ultimately, the responsibility falls on the supervising dentist.

One line authorizing supragingival scaling with hand and ultrasonic scalers is not enough. Calculus does not conveniently stop at the gingival margin because the law says the assistant’s authority does. What happens when subgingival calculus, pocketing, bleeding, or periodontal disease is encountered?

The legislature created this situation. Now the Board has to step in, clean up and make it as safe as possible for Virginians. The guidance needs to be crystal clear by defining patient selection, clinical limits, when the assistant must stop, and the dentist’s responsibility.