I am writing against the petition to allow dental assistants without formal training to become DAII's. Being a dental assistant working in the field for more than 13 years as well as a formally trained DAII for the last 3, I have seen both people with skills and people with knowledge. From experience I know that having an assistant with skills is very useful but having someone with the knowledge that comes from formal training really makes the difference, not only for the doctor and the team but most importantly for the patient. Providing the best care and service for the patient's health and wellbeing means not only having a certain number of years on the field, but having the training, practice and nuanced knowledge of the anatomy of the mouth as well as the different dental materials necessary for each procedure that only comes through formal learning; that is what quality standard of care is all about. This is a professional health field and it must be kept that way in order to provide the best of our knowledge and skills to the patients. Although I was forced to drive an hour each way to get my accreditation, I am absolutely sure that it was the right decision and I know that it provided me with the right training to excel in my field. Most doctors will not have the time to supply their staff with the proper knowledge and training in order to make them fully functional DAIIs,and that makes it unfair for a patient to be subjected to a lower standard of care. Therefore, I feel that approving the petition to allow dental assistants without formal training to become DAIIs would be detrimental to the profession, subjecting patients to a lower standard of care that comes with not giving the assistants the proper training that can only come from formal learning. We must keep the standard of care to its highest potential, and this can only be reached by ensuring that those who have the drive to become DAIIs do it through the proper pathways. Thank you for taking the time to consider my petition.