I’ve been a dental hygienist in Virginia for the past 20 years and it’s deeply upsetting to see these new laws. We went through a rigorous educational program and then took regional and national boards (testing both our written as well as practical knowledge). It is upsetting to see this standard lowered and it will only hurt the public and increase gum disease occurrence if the people cleaning teeth have not gone through the same rigorous educational program and testing. The Virginians will be the ones losing out in the end.