What we collect and how
We collect the information we need to provide your dental care and run our practice. We usually collect it directly from you, for example when you book, fill in a health form or talk with us. Sometimes we receive it from others, such as a dentist or doctor who refers you, or a parent, guardian or carer.
The information we collect may include:
- Contact details, such as your name, date of birth, address, phone number and email address
- Health information, including your medical and dental history, medications, allergies, x‑rays, photographs and clinical notes
- Medicare, DVA and health fund details
- Emergency contact details and, for children, parent or guardian details
- Account and billing records
Why we collect it
We use your information for the purposes you would reasonably expect, or as the law permits. These include:
- Assessing, planning and providing your dental care
- Contacting you about appointments, reminders and your treatment
- Processing claims with your health fund, Medicare or DVA
- Managing accounts and billing
- Meeting our legal and professional obligations, such as keeping clinical records
How we store and protect it
We hold your records electronically and, in some cases, on paper. We take reasonable steps to protect them from misuse, interference and loss, and from unauthorised access, change or disclosure. These steps include limiting access to team members who need it, using password-protected systems and requiring everyone who works here to keep patient information confidential.
We keep health records for the period required by law and professional guidelines. When information is no longer needed, we destroy it or de‑identify it securely.
When we share it
We only disclose your information for the purpose we collected it, for a directly related purpose you would reasonably expect, with your consent, or where the law requires or allows it. This may include sharing it with:
- Specialists or other health practitioners you are referred to
- Your health fund, to process claims
- Medicare and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, to process CDBS and DVA claims
- Dental laboratories that make items such as crowns and dentures for your treatment
- Service providers who support our practice, such as IT, practice software and online booking providers, who must keep your information confidential
- Government agencies or others, where required or authorised by law
If there is a data breach
We are covered by the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under the Privacy Act. If your personal information is lost or accessed without permission and this is likely to cause you serious harm, we will take steps to contain it and will notify you and the OAIC as the scheme requires.
Overseas disclosure
We don’t generally disclose personal information to anyone overseas. However, some of our service providers, such as cloud software or online booking providers, may store data on servers outside Australia. Where this happens, we take reasonable steps to make sure your information is handled in a way that is consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles.
Our website and online booking
Our website may use basic analytics to help us understand how visitors use it, such as which pages are viewed most. This may involve cookies. You can set your browser to refuse cookies if you prefer, and the site will still work.
Online booking is handled by a third-party booking provider. When you book online, the details you enter are collected by that provider and passed to us so we can manage your appointment. The provider’s own privacy policy also applies.
Please don’t send detailed health information to us by email, as email isn’t always secure. Call us instead and we’ll talk it through.
Accessing and correcting your information
You can ask to see or get a copy of the personal information we hold about you. Please send your request in writing to admin@
If you think any information we hold about you is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete, let us know and we’ll take reasonable steps to correct it.
Questions and complaints
If you have a question or a concern about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us first so we can try to resolve it. We’ll acknowledge your complaint and aim to respond within 30 days.
- Email us: admin@
northbeachdental.com.au - Phone us: 08 9447 1514
- If you’re not satisfied with our response, you can then contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC): oaic.gov.au or 1300 363 992
About this policy
We review this policy regularly and may update it from time to time to reflect changes in the law or in how we work. The current version is always available on this page.
Last updated: October 2026