From my 10 years of being a dental assistant before I was a hygienist...I can honestly say that I would not have wanted my assistant level of abilities scaling my teeth (above or below the gumline) and I considered myself a pretty good & knowledgeable assistant. I had "on the job" training & was only formerly certified to take x-rays (which is only a 1 day course).  We have already lowered the quality of care by allowing dentists to hire assistants w/no experience that have not taken the appropriate courses to perform RDA duties. What ever happened to "registered dental assistants"? Do CNAs get "on the job" training too...that is a scary thought !!