GARDINER (AP) — A bill that proponents say would expand access to critically needed dental care in Maine is likely to be heard in the state House of Representatives this week.

The bill would create a new category of dental hygienists called dental hygiene therapists who, after additional training, could do some procedures that right now can only be handled by a dentist, including filling cavities and pulling teeth.

Eric McMaster is a dental hygienist with his own practice in Gardiner. He told the Kennebec Journal (http://bit.ly/ZX8F7l) that passage of the bill would allow him and other independent dental hygienists to provide services to people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford them.

Dentists are generally opposed, saying the bill gives too much responsibility to hygienists without proper training.