Dear Members of the Board:

I do NOT support dental assistants performing any type of scaling.

As a former DANB certified dental assistant who is now a registered dental hygienist, I can, without reservation, say that the education and training I received within the assisting program would NOT be adequate to execute the type of patient care and scaling done by dental hygienists.

Dental assistants who wish to perform additional procedures could and should enroll in an accredited program and obtain the advanced degree associated with providing that level of care.  They would then be subject to appropriate licensure and oversight which would ensure the high level of care our patients expect from our profession.

Having dental assistants with minimal additional training and no licensure process perform scaling procedures would be a travesty to the profession of dental hygiene. The public would suffer with substandard care. Remember, we are not serving just mouths, we are treating a patient as a whole. Let us not overlook the link between periodontal disease and heart disease.
In rural areas of Virginia, the problem is and always has been the access to care and the cost of care. Residents who benefit from programs like Mission of Mercy would not be better served by allowing dental assistants to perform additional procedures as these residents have no current access to the traditional dentist's office.

The more populated and economically secure areas of Virginia would unknowingly receive substandard care if this change was enacted. Patients who scheduled appointments would not be aware that the policies had changed. They would expect that they were being seen by a registered dental hygienist, and could hold the dentist liable for substandard care provided by a lesser trained individual.

The solution is to increase the number of trained dental hygienists in both populated and rural areas by providing access to satellite medical training facilities. I am in support of all dental professionals bettering themselves to better serve others. It is a sacrifice we all have taken to earn the degree in our profession.

Thank you for your time.