I am very concerned about allowing dental assistants to become dental hygienists through an abbreviated pathway, as I do not believe the risks to patients are being fully considered. Dental hygiene is much more than cleaning teeth—we are educated to assess patients, recognize oral health conditions, answer questions, provide appropriate patient education, and safely perform periodontal instrumentation. We spend two years receiving extensive classroom and clinical education, with professors closely supervising and evaluating our skills, including proper instrumentation technique. How can we expect someone with significantly less education and clinical training to provide the same level of care and answer patients’ questions appropriately? This proposal risks patient safety and devalues the education, degree, and professional standards of licensed dental hygienists.