As a senior dental hygiene student at Old Dominion I strongly oppose this new regulation proposed by the Board of Dentistry.  There are many factors that we must consider before allowing this regulation become a reality. Foremost my concern is the quality of care the patients will be receiving and how would we regulate that once this once it goes through that these dental assisstants only scale calc 1 and perio 1 patients.  First I would like to address my concern for the quality of care the patients will be receiving.   Throughout these past years in my studies, I have found out that there is more to becoming a good dental hygienist and foremost a professional oral health care provider than just being able to scale.  I understand that these dental assisstants will be attendind some sort of educational program but will it be mandatory for this program to be accredited.  I feel this accreditation is  very important in maintaning the quality of care.  Aside from being taught the basic about scaling I feel it is critical that the dental assistants have to have a well rounded education in: pharmacology, pathology, basic dental hygiene.  And to further ensure the quality of care to our patients I believe like any other profession these dental assisstants should have to take a state  board exam to guarantee that they are fully knowledge in there new responsibilities both didactily and clinically.  I understand that we are in need of dental hygienist in Virginia but I also understand that just because we are in need does not mean we have to sacrifice quality of care for our patients.  So to maintain the quality of care these dental assisstants have to go to an accredited school that can promise the education they need to perform their job sufficiently and that at the end they have to take a state board exam to prove their readiness. 

My second concern is how will we regulate that the dental assisstant will only scale supragingival calculus on a perio 1 patient only.  How do we know that they will not be scaling someone with more subgingival calculus and more periodontally involved.  Once this regulation is past it will be a very thin line between what is right and wrong and there will be no way to ensure that the patient is receiving the quality of care they deserve.  Right now the regulation hasn't been passed yet to allow dental assisstants to scale calculus yet I have already been to practices where some dentist are allowing dental assisstant to scale.  If dentist are already pushing the scope of practice of the dental assistants now how much more will they push it when we pass this new regulation.  I fully understand that the Dentist are saying that these Dental assisstants will only scale supra ginginval calculus and perio 1 patients only, but I how could we ensure that. What if after the dental assisstant starts to scale and the patient is actually more periodontally involved than what was orginally diagnosed, would the dental asssistant have picked up in that so she can tell the dentist the patient might need more extentisive care.  And would the dentist actually transfer the patient over to a dental hygienist that would be more suitable to providing care for the patient even though the dental assisstant had already intially provided care for the patient.  

I think that the qualtiy of care is the most important factor.  No matter what happens I just hope that is on top of everyones list,  And to ensure a quality of care that means a proper education from an accredited school and a state board exam.  Also there needs to be check and balance, if this regulation is passed then I hope there is a way to make sure that the dental assisstants stay within thier scope of practice.

Hoanmy Tran

Student Dental Hygienist

Old Dominion University