Oppose Senate VA bills supporting unqualified providers!

As you may know, last year Arizona passed the infamous SB 1124, which introduced the Oral Preventive Assistant (OPA). The OPA role is largely unpopular, as it is essentially an expanded function dental assistant permitted through policy to perform procedures such as scaling — a traditional dental hygiene service that requires an accredited education, clinical training, and licensure.

Across the country, some are pushing the OPA model as a solution to workforce shortages and access-to-care challenges. ADHA maintains that introducing inadequately trained dental personnel to perform preventive services puts the public’s oral health at risk and threatens the integrity of the dental hygiene profession. Instead of introducing undertrained individuals into clinical settings, ADHA strongly believes dental hygienists should be empowered to practice at the top of their scope and in expanded settings to address workforce and access concerns safely and effectively.

This year, Virginia has introduced similarly concerning legislation. HB 970/SB 178 would establish an OPA role, and HB 1036/SB 282 would allow foreign-trained dentists to practice as dental hygienists without CODA-accredited or U.S.-standard dental hygiene education. These bills have moved quickly through the legislature, largely uncontested.

Allowing OPAs and individuals without CODA-accredited, U.S.-standard dental hygiene education to provide care is not a solution to workforce shortages or access challenges. These are risky shortcuts the public did not ask for. ADHA is working with legislatures nationwide to advance policies that empower licensed dental hygienists to practice more autonomously, at the top of their scope, and in expanded settings — ensuring patients receive care grounded in rigorous education, clinical competency, and established standards.

ADHA is doing everything possible to halt the progress of these bills in Virginia. We are asking our community to contact the Virginia legislature and the Governor’s office to oppose this legislation. We cannot allow unqualified individuals to become the norm or replace qualified, licensed dental hygienists.

Take action now! It takes just one minute to complete the VoterVoice campaigns to Virginia leadership urging them to reject this legislation. Contact directly or call the Governor’s office at (804) 786-2211 to make it clear that the dental hygiene community — in Virginia and nationwide — opposes this policy.

Share the campaigns on social media. Let’s make our voices heard!

-ADHA & VDHA Leaders

Consider Joining ADHA! 

The American Dental Hygienists’ Association advocates for dental hygienists at the local, state, and federal levels and provides educational and advocacy resources on issues such as preventive dental assistants and foreign-trained dentists at adha.org.

The dental hygiene profession is facing coordinated legislative efforts nationwide that threaten educational standards, attempt to replace licensed dental hygienists with undertrained substitutes, and put patient safety at risk—defending against these efforts requires a unified profession and your voice now. 

The most effective way to support this work is by becoming an ADHA member; if membership is not an option, you can still make an impact by contributing directly to advocacy efforts, or by doing both. As the leading national voice for dental hygienists, ADHA leverages member support to strengthen its presence on Capitol Hill, expand professional lobbying, fund National Lobby Day, and develop shareable advocacy resources—ensuring the voices of more than 220,000 dental hygienists are heard when it matters most.