I appreciate and respect [Dr. Prestons] beliefs about staff people, but I am sorry for his apparent lack of acceptance of qualified staff.
After 40 years of working closely with educated, motivated, intelligent dental hygienists, assistants and technicians, I find I must strongly disagree with his comments. I welcome Dr. Preston to participate in courses I deliver on this broad subject, or to view some of the hundreds of videos I have made, so he can see how staff people become educated to the level I described in the article.
Educated, well-supervised team members are essential to high-quality, efficient dentistry. In my opinion, their participation in data collection, before diagnosis and treatment planning by the dentist, is an important part of an effective, up-to-date practice.