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As a patient, I am opposed to scaling by dental assistants. The training that they would receive could not possibly compare to the training required for dental hygienists. I pay a high premium for my dental insurance and expect the best quality of dental care, which includes thorough cleanings and examinations by well trained, licensed dental hygienists.Could the scaling of teeth by a dental assistant be considered insurance fraud? If a patient is not informed that their scaling is being performed by a dental assistant rather a hygienist, is this not deception? These deceptions could initiate legal issues.

A dentist with any integrity would put the welfare of his patients first, resist the temptation to save a buck and oppose this proposal. I have received excellent dental care from the same dental practice for the past 35 years. I am confident that my honest, conscientious dentist would never offer a reduced level of care to his trusting patients by allowing his dental assistants to scale teeth.

Maria A. Hager