To Whom it May Concern:   As a Registered Dental Hygienist who worked VERY diligently to obtain my Dental Hygiene license in the Commonwealth of VA , I desperately urge you to NOT consider allowing Dental Assistants to do any type of scaling.  After attending 2 years of undergraduate studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, I then attended the medical campus of Virginia Commonwealth University for 2 years, where I was put  through a very rigorous and thorough study of clinical  Dental Hygiene.  I then took a National, Regional (written and clinical), and a state board examination which determined my qualifications to obtain a Dental Hygiene license.  By allowing a Dental Assistant to perform scaling duties you are putting our patients and the population at risk.  We as dental professionals have been trained to perform and assess our patients on individual needs, and by allowing someone with less than our qualifications to do so is neglect.  Although allowing Dental Assistants to perform these duties would benefit the bottom-line production numbers of many offices, it may compromise many patients in the long run.  My focus as a concerned and caring dental healthcare professional is about the welfare of  my patients oral health and safety.  When you allow non-professionals to perform tasks that require professional education and training, you compromise the value of the professional degree and regulatory standards.  Thank you.  Stephanie Murphy, RDH