I respectfully ask the Virginia Board of Dentistry to establish a full regulatory process to protect patient health and safety as Virginia implements the new law allowing dental assistants to perform supragingival scaling. 

This is simply not "cleaning" teeth, oral healthcare involves disease prevention, disease recognition, disease management, and treatment. Virginia already has a significant problem with undiagnosed and untreated periodontal disease by licensed dental providers. 

Who will be responsible for periodontal assessments when the dentist and OPA are the only providers treating a patient? I do not see a dentist performing periodontal probings on these patients as they are already completing a periodic exam, as they rely on the dental hygienist to complete. Removing the dental hygienist creates an increased risk to patient. 

Expanding clinical responsibilities to a dental assistant establishing regulatory standards with further inconsistency in patient care. 

This is not about protecting a profession or opposing access to care, this is about patient safety and health. 

Kristy Peters, RDH (28 years of clinical practice in Virginia)