My concern is with the downplaying of the importance of trained and certified dental hygienists in providing key oral health services which far exceed the capabilities provided by dental technicians. I served 30 years in the military witnessing and experiencing first hand the number of oral health issues leading to higher levels of tooth decay requiring fillings, root canals, and gum diseases and lowered troop readiness. This was due in part to the lack of actual trained hygienists and the reliance almost exclusively on less trained dental techs. By comparison, since retiring 20 years ago, I have had much better oral health outcomes with trained dental hygiene professionals being in charge of my annual cleanings, scaling, evaluations, etc.