Can any dental procedure delegated to a dental hygienist also be delegated to an expanded duty dental assistant?

• A. Not allowed
• B. Under no circumstances
• C. Yes
• D. Only certain procedures

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is that the dentist can delegate the same procedures to different members of the dental team as long as each procedure falls within that staff member’s defined scope and is performed under proper supervision. Expanded duty dental assistants are authorized to carry out a set of defined tasks under the dentist’s supervision, just as dental hygienists do. Because both roles operate under the supervising dentist and the procedures are within each role’s allowed scope, a procedure that a dentist delegates to a hygienist can also be delegated to an expanded duty dental assistant if the EDDA is trained and authorized for that task. So, yes—the same procedure can be delegated to an EDDA.

In practice, the exact tasks available to an EDDA depend on state rules and the EDDA’s training, but the key point is the overlap and shared authority under supervision.