Maryborough Dental Practice

At Maryborough Dental Practice, we are committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal and health information. This Privacy Policy explains how our practice handles your data in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and guidelines set by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

1. What Kinds of Personal Information We Collect

To provide you with safe, effective, and high-quality dental care, we must collect personal and sensitive health information. This includes:

Identifying and Contact Details: Your name, date of birth, residential address, email address, and phone numbers.
Administrative Data: Medicare details, health fund information, and Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) details.
Medical and Health Information: Your complete medical history, current medications, allergies, and details of your primary medical practitioner.
Dental Records: Clinical notes, treatment plans, intraoral scans, digital imaging (such as OPGs and CBCT 3D scans), and photographs.
Website Data: IP addresses, browser types, and standard cookies when you visit our website, leave comments, or use our online booking system.

2. How We Collect and Store Your Information

We collect personal information directly from you wherever possible. This occurs when you:

Complete a new patient medical history form (online or in the clinic).
Attend a consultation or receive treatment.
Contact us via phone, email, or our website.
Book an appointment online.

In some cases, we may collect information from third parties, such as referring medical practitioners, specialists, or your health fund.

Storage and Security: Your information is stored securely within our encrypted digital practice management systems. We utilize robust firewalls, password protection, and restricted access protocols to ensure your data is protected from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorized access, modification, or disclosure. Any physical records are kept in secure, access-controlled areas.

3. Why We Collect Your Information

We collect, hold, and use your personal and health information primarily to:

Accurately assess your dental health and provide safe, tailored dental treatments.
Provide continuity of care.
Manage the administrative aspects of our practice, including appointment scheduling, billing, processing Medicare or health fund claims, and debt recovery.
Communicate with you regarding your treatment, follow-ups, and routine dental recalls.
Comply with legal and regulatory obligations.

4. How We Use and Disclose Your Information

Your personal information will only be used or disclosed for the primary purpose for which it was collected, or a directly related secondary purpose that you would reasonably expect. We may disclose your information to:

Other healthcare professionals (e.g., dental specialists, oral surgeons, or your GP) if a referral is required.
Third-party service providers who assist with our clinic operations (e.g., dental laboratories fabricating crowns or appliances, IT support, and debt collection agencies), all of whom are bound by strict confidentiality agreements.
Medicare, DVA, or your nominated private health fund for claiming purposes.
Statutory bodies or law enforcement if legally compelled or required by law to do so.

5. Overseas Disclosure

Typically, Maryborough Dental Practice does not disclose your personal or health information to overseas recipients. If a situation arises where your data needs to be sent overseas (for example, to a specialized international dental laboratory), we will seek your explicit consent beforehand and take reasonable steps to ensure the recipient complies with the Australian Privacy Principles.

6. Secure Destruction of Data

Under Australian health records legislation, we are required to retain your dental records for a minimum period. Records are kept for at least 7 years from the date of your last treatment. If the patient is a minor, records are retained until they reach 25 years of age.

Once your information is no longer required for the purpose it was collected and the legal retention period has passed, we will take reasonable steps to securely destroy or permanently de-identify the records.

7. Accessing and Correcting Your Information

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you, or ask us to correct it if you believe it is inaccurate, out of date, or incomplete.

To request access or a correction, please contact our clinic in writing. We may require you to verify your identity before releasing any files. While we will generally grant access, there are some legal exceptions where we may refuse it (e.g., if it poses a serious threat to the life, health, or safety of an individual). A small administrative fee may apply for collating and exporting your records.

8. How to Lodge a Complaint

If you believe we have breached the Australian Privacy Principles or mishandled your personal information, please let us know immediately so we can address your concerns. Complaints should be made in writing to our Practice Principal. We will acknowledge your complaint within 7 days and aim to provide a formal response within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may escalate your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

Website: www.oaic.gov.au
Phone: 1300 363 992

9. Website Cookies and Embedded Content

If you leave a comment on our site, you may opt-in to saving your details in cookies for convenience. If you visit our login page or edit an article, temporary cookies are used to manage your session. Articles on our site may include embedded content (e.g., videos, maps). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website, and these third parties may collect data about you or use cookies in accordance with their own privacy policies.