Can a dental hygienist utilize an expanded duty dental assistant under general supervision?

• A. Yes, under general supervision.
• B. No.
• C. Only under direct supervision.
• D. Only with board approval.

Answer: (A)

Supervision level controls how expanded duty personnel are used. Under general supervision, the licensed clinician can delegate certain expanded duties to an expanded-duty dental assistant without being on-site for every procedure, as long as there are established protocols and the clinician is available for remote consultation and oversight. In a dental hygiene setting, a dental hygienist may rely on an EDDA under general supervision to expand care, provided the EDDA’s duties are within their permitted scope and the hygienist remains responsible for ensuring safe, appropriate treatment. If a task requires direct supervision, the supervising clinician would need to be physically present; board involvement or approval is not automatically required for every general-supervision arrangement, though some specific duties or scenarios may have separate rules. Therefore, the correct understanding is that yes, an expanded-duty dental assistant can be utilized under general supervision.