I am a dental hygientist from Michigan and have been reading the commments regarding the expansion of duties for the registered dental assistant.  My concerns are numerous.  Ranging from the quality of care for the patient, even though I am certain a dentist will be present, to the integrity of the dental hygiene profession.  As a private practice hygienist my interaction with the patient, whether a class l or lll, goes far beyond scaling and polishing.  Also, my collaborative input with the dentist is imperative to his comprehensive diagnosis...." two sets of eyes are always better than one". 

I feel I could elaborate further but I see the responses are numerous and quite lengthly so I do not want to take up too much of your valuable time.  Please consider the seriousness of this decision and not just a monitary or "shortage" decision.  There are much better ways to resolve those problems.

Thank you for your time

Janet Gorman Miller, RDH