As a licensed dental hygienist, I strongly oppose expanding the scope of practice to allow dental assistants to hand scale. Scaling is a clinical procedure that requires extensive education and training to safely assess, detect, and remove calculus while recognizing periodontal disease and other oral health concerns. Patient safety should come first, and procedures involving subgingival instrumentation should remain within the scope of appropriately educated and licensed dental professionals. Virginia should prioritize maintaining high standards of care rather than lowering them.