Kathy Bassett, RDH, MEd, is a professor emerita of dental hygiene at Pierce College in Lakewood, Washington, and an affiliate professor in the Department of Oral Health Sciences at the University of Washington School of Dentistry in Seattle. A national and international lecturer, Bassett writes frequently on local anesthesia and is a coauthor of Local Anesthesia for Dental Professionals.
Even though dental hygienists have been administering local anesthesia for more than 40 years, there is still no consensus on national education standards or utilization guidelines.