| Action | Registration and practice of dental assistants |
| Stage | NOIRA |
| Comment Period | Ended on 11/12/2008 |
 |
Dear Honorable Board Members,
As a former Board member, I would like to encourage the Board to include the following responsibilities as part of the expanded duty functions for Dental Assistants: Assistants acting as scaling technicians, a Periodontal assistant and assistants performing duties such as packing/carving amalgams and packing composites. During my tenure as the Board President (2000-2001), the Board received a petition for rule-making from a Dentist in the Southwest portion of the Commonwealth to allow dental assistants to become scaling technicians. The petitioner argued that the lack of hygienists in the southwestern portion of the state made it impossible to keep up with the restorative needs of his patients. He further argued that the standard of care might be breached because the restorative and preventive needs of his patients were not being met. In the end, the Board chose not to take up the issue at that time. The access to Dental care throughout the Commonwealth since 2001 has declined significantly.
In this era of shrinking dental manpower, it is incumbent upon the Board to assist the dental community in finding innovative ways to help with the access to care issues with the delicate balance of protecting the public at the same time. I believe with proper training a certified dental assistant can deliver quality care under the expanded duties as outlined by Board regulations under the direct supervision of a Dentist. Currently the military and Indian/Alaskan native communities are training assistants as prophy technicians. There is a training facility in
The Board needs to consider all options in dealing with access to care issues because the crisis will get only worse with inaction. Please carefully study this critical issue.
Thank you for you time and service to the Commonwealth,
Michael J. Link, D.D.S.