HIGHRegulatoryTier 1
Missouri dental hygienists sue to block rule expanding dental assistant scope of practice
Sources2 outlets covering this story
Summary & scoring by The Bell Brief (Dr. Jennifer Bell) using the Drill-Down Protocol (Drill-Down Score) — not the original publisher.
Why it matters for dental
Missouri practice owners and DSOs must track a pending lawsuit that could halt or delay expanded duties for dental assistants, directly affecting workflow, staffing ratios, and hygiene productivity.
Key points
- The Missouri Dental Hygienists’ Association filed suit alleging the Dental Board exceeded its statutory authority by permitting EFDAs to perform supragingival scaling and periodontal charting.
- The contested rule applies only to dental assistants who hold Expanded Functions Dental Assistant (EFDA) permits.
- If upheld, the rule would let Missouri practices delegate these periodontal tasks to EFDAs instead of licensed hygienists.
- The lawsuit challenges the Dental Board’s scope-of-practice interpretation and is currently pending in Missouri court.
Who should care
OwnerDSOStaff
Original reporting · 2 sources
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