Are dental records considered medical records?
Dental records, in paper or electronic format, are considered Protected Health Information and are subject to the same Federal scrutiny for privacy and security as full medical records. Dental records contain minimal medical information.
What is record keeping in dentistry?
Dental professionals are required to make and keep accurate dental records of care provided to patients. Accurate dental records can help practitioners to reach a diagnosis by providing detailed information about a patient’s changing oral health.
Where are dental records kept?
The office’s professional liability insurance company will likely have recommendations about retention. Dental records may be preserved on microfilm or microfiche, stored with a records storage service (fairly common in many jurisdictions) or scanned for electronic storage.
What information is considered confidential in dental practice?
In a dental context, personal information held by a dentist about a patient includes: the patient’s name, current and previous addresses, bank account/credit card details, telephone number/email address and other means of personal identification such as physical description.
How long does a dentist keep your records?
2.6 Dental records must be stored securely and safeguarded against loss or damage including a secure backup of electronic records. 2.7 Dental practitioners should be aware of local privacy laws that govern the retention of records, which require retention from 7-10 years.
Why do schools need dental records?
Lack of access to dental care is a problem for many California children. The kindergarten dental checkup requirement, AB 1433, signed into law in 2006, helps schools identify children suffering from untreated dental disease and helps parents establish a dental home for their children.
How do you obtain your dental records?
Your Right to Obtain Access to Your Dental Records You can visit the dentist to ask in person, but many experts recommend making the request in writing, so you and your healthcare provider have a record of it. It’s important to know that as a patient, you have the right to a copy of your record—not the original.
How should dental records be stored?
Storage and security of records (b) Dental records should be securely stored and protected from unauthorised access or use. All filing cabinets should be locked and kept in a room which is not accessible to the general public.
Why is dental recording important in dental practice?
Beyond providing patient care, the dental record is important because it may be used in a court of law to establish the diagnostic information that was obtained and the treatment that was rendered to the patient. It can be used in defense of allegations of malpractice.
How long keep dental records?
This states that general Dental Services records should be retained for a minimum period of 10 years from the date of discharge of the patient from the practice or when the patient was last seen.
Are dental records confidential?
Dentists are obliged to safeguard the confidentiality of patient records. Upon request of a patient or another dental practitioner, dentists shall provide any information in accordance with applicable law that will be beneficial for the future treatment of that patient.
