The Search for Consensus

By Sean G. Boynes, DMD, MS, Kathy Bassett, RDH, MEd

The roles of dental hygienists continue to expand and comprise clinicians, educators, patient managers, and community oral health advocates.¹ As more responsibilities are delegated to nondentists, skill sets and scopes of practice will be redefined. One such skill that is widely used by dental professionals is local anesthesia administration (LAA). Although dental hygienists have been providing LAA in the United States in a safe and effective manner for more than 40 years, there is no national scope of practice that includes LAA. A lack of consensus regarding educational requirements and optimal LAA methodologies also remains. This article will explore relevant aspects of LAA within the dental hygienist’s scope of practice.

* References can be found in the original article via the link below.
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