Trial a Bit Closer for Dentists, Hygienists
The legal dispute between California dental hygienists and dentists moved a step closer toward trial Monday in Santa Monica Superior Court.
Judge Irving A. Shimer denied a motion to dismiss the California Dental Hygienists Assn.’s counter-complaint against the California Dental Assn., ruling that the hygienists’ group had shown cause to continue the case.
The hygienists filed a countersuit in early 1988 alleging that the dentists’ association had violated the state’s antitrust laws by trying to eliminate possible competition by licensed hygienists in providing dental services in California.
The dentists had charged in a case filed in December, 1987, that the hygienists had engaged in illegal price-fixing by exchanging salary information. Shimer dismissed the dentists’ suit in February. His decision is being appealed.
Behind the legal contest is a battle over the role of hygienists in providing dental services. The dentists’ association has insisted that patients may be abused if hygienists are allowed to operate without supervision.
Kay Lucas-Wallace, the San Francisco attorney who represents the hygienists, said the organization plans to proceed to trial.
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