Every few years the idea is proposed to allow Dental Assistant IIs to scale.  This current proposal finally requires at least some minimal training and accreditation; unfortunately still not enough for the task. The answer is to increase dental hygiene programs to provide the Registered Dental Hygienists (RDHs) necessary to accommodate the market. To do otherwise will affect the quality of care to the citizens of Virginia. 

 

Increasing the number of RDHs, particularly if they can be trained at community colleges, would help to spread the personnel around. So many students who come from rural areas to metropolitan schools elect to stay there instead of going home where the need would appear greater. State-backed incentives to encourage graduates to settle in high need areas would be helpful to the rural patients and their dentists. These ideas have been suggested by hygienists for years and would increase the care for Virginians in high need areas, but they are not getting the support they deserve. Rather some would prefer “quick and easy” rather than “ethical and proper.” This view makes one wonder what the motivation really is.    

 

An additional resulting consequence of instituting a policy permitting Dental Assistant IIs to scale will be that thrid pary providers will lower their reimbursement insurance benefits, thereby increasing the cost to the patients in Virginia.

 

Therefore this regulatory action needs to refrain from allowing scaling for the Dental Assistant II position.