Privacy Policy
Guildford Dental Centre
Effective: 1st Jan 2026
1. Our Commitment to Your Privacy
Guildford Dental Centre (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store and protect your personal information, including sensitive health information.
2. What Personal Information We Collect
We collect personal information that is necessary to provide dental care and manage our practice, including:
- Name, address, telephone number, email address and date of birth
- Medicare details and private health insurance information
- Medical history and health information
- Dental records, treatment plans, X-rays, clinical photographs and notes
- Payment and billing information
Health information is considered “sensitive information” under Australian privacy law.
3. How We Collect Personal Information
We collect personal information directly from you when you:
- Complete a patient registration form
- Attend appointments
- Communicate with us via phone, email or our website
- Provide medical updates
We may also collect information from:
- Your guardian or responsible person (where applicable)
- Other healthcare providers involved in your care
- Health insurers or Medicare
4. Why We Collect, Hold and Use Your Information
We collect and use your personal information to:
- Provide dental care and treatment
- Maintain clinical records
- Process payments and insurance claims
- Communicate with you regarding appointments and treatment
- Comply with legal and regulatory requirements
We collect and use your health information specifically for the purpose of diagnosing, treating and managing your oral health and any related medical conditions.
5. Disclosure of Personal Information
We may disclose your personal information where reasonably necessary for the purposes described above. This may include disclosure to:
- Our dentists, dental assistants, hygienists and administrative staff
- Medicare, private health insurers and payment processors
- IT service providers and practice management software providers
- Regulatory authorities where required by law
In addition, we may disclose your personal and sensitive health information to other healthcare providers where necessary for your treatment and ongoing care, including:
- Specialist dentists and dental specialists
- General practitioners (GPs)
- Oral surgeons, orthodontists, periodontists or other referred practitioners
- Pathology services, radiology providers and dental laboratories for the purpose of diagnostics, imaging, prosthetics or other treatment-related services
Such disclosures are made for the primary purpose of providing you with appropriate healthcare and are consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles.
Where practicable, we will obtain your consent before sharing your health information with external providers, particularly where the disclosure is not directly related to your immediate treatment.
We will only disclose the minimum amount of information reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.
6. Overseas Disclosure
Some of our third-party service providers (such as cloud-based practice management or IT providers) may store data on servers located outside Australia. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure that your information is handled in accordance with Australian privacy law.
7. Data Security and Storage
We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. These steps include:
- Secure electronic practice management systems
- Password protection and access controls
- Secure storage of physical records
- Staff confidentiality obligations
8. Data Retention
We retain dental records in accordance with legal and professional requirements in Western Australia.
Generally, adult patient records are retained for at least seven (7) years from the date of last treatment. Records relating to children are retained until the patient reaches at least 25 years of age.
When records are no longer required, they are securely destroyed or permanently de-identified.
9. Direct Marketing
We may contact you regarding appointment reminders or information about services.
We will not use your health information for direct marketing without your consent. You may opt out of receiving marketing communications at any time by contacting us.
10. Access and Correction
You have the right to request access to your personal information and request corrections if it is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.
Requests should be made in writing. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe.
11. Anonymity and Pseudonymity
Where lawful and practicable, you may request to deal with us anonymously or using a pseudonym. However, this may limit our ability to provide dental treatment safely and effectively.
12. Complaints
If you believe we have breached your privacy rights, you may lodge a complaint with us in writing. We will investigate and respond within a reasonable timeframe.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact:
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
Website: www.oaic.gov.au
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will always be available at our practice and on our website.
