Dear Dental Board Members

I am opposed to any trained or untrained dental assistant scaling teeth no matter what the situation is. The only proper training would be attending an accredited dental hygiene school. If dentists are so concerned with the access to public care why aren't more of them volunteering their time at free clinics instead of a long weekend with Mission of Mercy? I worked at a free clinic and it was very difficult to find a dentist willing to give his or her time to these needed patients even though there were several hygienists willing to give their time. There are better ways to provide care to the needy population without diminishing the standard of care we have held for so long in Virginia.  Lowering the standard of care will not improve access to those in need. We as a dental community need to find a better solution of funding and staffing to these clinics.

I grew up in Tazewell County, went to college and worked in the southwest region of the state where Dr Michael Jink DDS claims there is a shortage of hygienists based on his conversation with one dentist. I had a very difficult time straight out of school finding a job. The only 2 jobs available, after calling all of the area dentists were at the 2 dental offices that provide substandard care and less pay than I would have made working at the local McDonalds. Everyone received a prophy in these offices and I am sure all patients were and will be classified as class 1 perio. There was no perio protocol in either office. Currently I know several hygienists who cannot find jobs with good dentists. A GOOD dentist puts patient health before the doctor's wallet. Those that have supported this stated it will provide better access to care....but how is this true? Will DA II be allowed to go into clinics under their direct supervision of a dentist and provide the same care as an RDH? I am not clear how allowing dental assistants to scale will benefit the needy population. I am sure it will benefit the dentists take home pay.

Dr Jink also stated the dentist from SWV would be unable to keep up with the restorative needs of his patients if dental assistants cannot scale. Is this dentist going to give up a dental chair? If this dentist is so busy that he cannot keep up with restorative demand how will he have time to probe to determine perio health? You cannot just glance in the mouth and determine if the patient is "healthy" or "unhealthy".

There are several patients who are afraid of the dentist as it is, I do not believe allowing a DAII to perform scaling procedures will help this matter. As far as the word "reversible", removing gum tissue between the teeth or tooth structure is NOT reversible. Not detecting oral cancer or periodontal disease in time for proper treatment is NOT reversible.
Please consider the serious impact on dental health for all Virginias. I do not believe this will help the citizens of the commonwealth. Thank you for your time in reading this and I hope that you make the right decision by not supporting DA II scaling.