I believe that it is unfortunate that in this time of economic hardships that the VDA would attempt to exploit DA's to lower overhead costs.  DA's are not trained to properly to do the work that an RDH should be doing.  By allowing DA's to scale teeth we are allowing Dentists to provide an inferior service, so that they can save money by paying a DA salary instead of a qualified RDH salary.  As a consumer I refuse to have my teeth scaled by a DA that is not familiar with the anatomy of a tooth, not familiar with the signs of cancer, and not familiar with ways to promote a healthy living style and diet.  RDH's are trained in more fields than just scaling teeth, this allow them to provide a superior service that a DA's will not be able to provide.