In 1990, 78 dental hygienists who were members of the Dutch Dental Hygiene Association and working in an independent practice received a questionnaire (response rate: 79%) about the administration of local anesthesia. The main aim of this study was to determine the need for this service prior to deep scaling. The results of the survey showed that the need to administer local anesthesia for this purpose is limited in spite of the large number of patients with periodontal problems treated in independent dental hygiene practices. In most circumstances the cooperation with the dentist is satisfactory. However, 83% of the respondents indicate a limitation in the pain control services.