Most businesses require personal information and data from their clients and customers, and for dentists, reading this will apply to your patients. Not only will that data include the information that patients provide, such as their name, address and date of birth, but the subsequent information you add to their files regarding their oral health and treatments, many of which they will have paid for, so you may also have credit cards or bank details stored.

What all of that means, and in line with the relevant commercial law, which for dentists located in Australia is the 1998 Privacy Act, is that the storing and using of personal information must be done in a way that protects that data. Should you fail to protect the data and it is shared deliberately, in error, or due to a security breach, you and your dental business could face penalties.

Lawyers for Dental O So Gentle advised one of the ways you can ensure you comply with privacy law is for your dental business to have a privacy policy. This outlines what steps your business takes to protect data, what legitimate ways it can be used, and how you will handle privacy-related complaints. Read on, and we will explain further.

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