It is a legal requirement and best practice for dental practitioners to keep all patient dental records for as long as possible. HPCSA guidelines state that records should be stored for a period of not less than six years as from the date that they become dormant, so far as it is practically and financially possible to do so.
Patient information is subject to the confidentiality as set out in said HPCSA guidelines and may only be made available to third parties upon receiving written authorisation from the patient or their legal representative.
All practitioners are reminded to keep audio-visual records of their patients such as photographs, videos and digital recordings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Author: Nkhumo Tsebe, Community Representative
Last Updated on 11 November 2021 by HPCSA Corporate Affairs