As a licensed dental hygienist in Virginia, I respectfully urge the Virginia Board of Dentistry to initiate formal rulemaking for the scaling assistant law. Statewide standards for training, competency evaluation, supervision levels, documentation, and patient safety safeguards are critical to ensure consistent and safe implementation. 

The law enacted on July 1, 2026, is unclear with many questions unanswered and interpretation of this law could lead to different training standards from one dental office to another. Guidance from the Board is needed.

This law also allows training to occur through existing dental assisting education programs. Currently those programs do not teach supragingival scaling as part of their normal curriculum.  The Board regulates these education programs in Virginia. Therefore, the Board needs to explain what additional training and curriculum would be required.

Thank you for considering the concerns of Virginia dental professionals and for your continued commitment to patient safety.