Pennsylvania Dental Association Applauds General Assembly for Passing Dental Assistant Bill

Legislation will improve patient access to quality oral health care

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --The Pennsylvania Dental Association (PDA) today commended the General Assembly for passing legislation that will improve access to quality health care by allowing dental assistants, known as expanded function dental assistants (EFDAs), to perform more services. The PDA urged Governor Edward Rendell to sign the bill.

"This legislation is a great step in the right direction toward ensuring that Pennsylvanians can obtain the preventative dental care they need to improve their health," said PDA President Dr. Andrew J. Kwasny of Erie. "The PDA applauds our state lawmakers for passing this bill that would allow dentists and dental assistants to treat more patients. We are particularly indebted to Representative Eddie Day Pashinski (D-Luzerne) and Senator Jane Orie (R-Allegheny) for their leadership in steering this bill to passage."

Under House Bill 602, EFDAs would be authorized to perform more duties, including polishing teeth, applying fluoride treatments and taking impressions for athletic mouth guards. By allowing dental assistants to perform more duties, dentists and dental hygienists would be free to treat a greater number of patients. An independent audit conducted after Kansas passed similar legislation in the 1990s found an increase in access to dental care.

For more information on the PDA, visit www.padental.org.

SOURCE Pennsylvania Dental Association