Delegation of expanded functions to dental assistants and hygienists

One hundred and twenty-six dental offices in Washington State kept a record of each time an expanded function was performed by the dentist, hygienist, or assistant. There were five two-week recording periods starting in February 1979 and ending in February 1981. Consistent with increasing productivity, dentists most frequently delegate tasks to dental assistants rather than dental hygienists and delegate an individual task consistently if it is delegated at all. For tasks that may be delegated to the assistant, a relationship was found between the per cent of dentists delegating an individual task and the amount of the dentist's time that is freed through delegating that task. From the perspective of quality of care, the per cent of dentists who delegate a task was inversely related to the complexity of the task.