Rule Revisions Prohibiting Scaling Dental Assistants

What’s Happening

• The Board of Dentistry is holding a Public Rule Making Hearing on September 30th, where it will consider revisions to rule OAR 818-042-0040, which, if passed, will clarify the prohibition of dental assistants by law from performing periodontal probing and scaling teeth to remove deposits and stains.
  • Already, it is the understanding of the Board of Dentistry and ODA that this activity is outside the scope of practice for a dental assistant in Oregon, and adding it to their scope would require legislative action.
• The issue of dental assistant scaling is an evolving field. ODA has urged the Board of Dentistry to postpone the proposed revisions and instead have staff conduct a thorough analysis of the potential impacts of scaling dental assistants in Oregon. And in the meantime, if the Board of Dentistry wishes to add more clarity on this issue, ODA would suggest publishing guidance or an FAQ document.

What You Can Do

• Please send the ODA your thoughts. If you are interested in doing so, we can help you submit public comments. Contact Brett Hamilton, Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs, at bhamilton@oregondental.org. 
• The public comment period is from September 2 through 4:00 PM on October 10, 2025.