Effective 27 September 2026
About this policy
Omega Dental & Cosmetics (ABN 93 277 406 898) is committed to protecting the privacy of the people who visit our practice and our website.
We are a health service provider. Under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), health service providers are bound by the Australian Privacy Principles regardless of size, and we are also subject to the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW). This policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, who we share it with, and what you can do about it.
The information we collect
Personal information — your name, date of birth, address, phone number, email address, emergency contact, and your Medicare, DVA, health fund or concession details where they apply.
Health information — your medical and dental history, medications, allergies, clinical notes, examination findings, x-rays and other images, treatment plans, referrals, and correspondence with other practitioners. Health information is classified as sensitive information under the Privacy Act and attracts additional protection.
Financial information — payment records, account balances, health fund claims, and where you use a payment plan, the information that provider requires. We do not store full card numbers.
Website information — anything you send us through a contact or enquiry form or our website chat assistant, and standard technical data such as IP address, browser type and pages visited.
How we collect it
Usually directly from you — in person, over the phone, on a new patient form, through our website, or through our online booking system.
Sometimes we collect information about you from someone else: a referring dentist or doctor, a specialist, a radiology provider, your health fund, Medicare, or a parent or guardian where we are treating a child. Where we do, we take reasonable steps to make sure you know about it.
If you do not provide the information we ask for, we may not be able to treat you safely, or to claim on your behalf.
Why we collect it and how we use it
To provide dental care and to plan your treatment; to keep accurate clinical records; to contact you about appointments, recalls and results; to bill you and process claims through Medicare, the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, DVA or your health fund; to meet our legal, professional and insurance obligations; and to manage and improve the practice.
We use your contact details to send appointment reminders and practice communications. You can opt out of non-clinical communications at any time by telling us.
Who we disclose it to
- Other health practitioners involved in your care — specialists, your GP, dental laboratories, radiology providers
- Medicare, the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, DVA and your private health fund, for claiming
- Payment plan providers, where you choose to use one
- Our practice management, booking and IT service providers, under confidentiality obligations
- Our insurers and professional advisers
- Anyone you have authorised in writing
- Any person or body where we are required or permitted by law to disclose
We do not sell your information, and we do not disclose it for marketing by anyone else.
Overseas disclosure
Some of the software we use to run the practice and this website stores or processes data on servers that may be located outside Australia, including in the United States. This includes Anthropic, which provides our website chat assistant (see “Our website chat assistant” below). Where that is the case, we take reasonable steps to ensure the provider handles your information consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles.
How we store and protect it
Records are held electronically and, where relevant, in paper form. We use access controls, individual staff logins, secure passwords, encrypted connections, firewalls, and regular backups. Paper records are kept in secured areas. Staff may access your records only where they need to for your care or the administration of the practice.
No system is perfectly secure. If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm, we will notify the affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as required under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.
How long we keep it
We are required to retain dental records for a minimum period. For adults, that is at least seven years from the date of the last entry. For patients treated as children, records are kept until they turn 25. We may keep records for longer where there is a legal or insurance reason to do so. When records are no longer required, they are destroyed securely.
Accessing and correcting your information
You can ask to see the information we hold about you, and to have it corrected if it is wrong, out of date or incomplete. Put the request in writing to the contact details below. We will respond within 30 days.
There is no charge for making a request. We may charge a reasonable fee for the cost of retrieving and copying records, and we will tell you what it is before we proceed.
In limited circumstances we may refuse access — for example where giving access would pose a serious threat to someone’s life or health, or where it would unreasonably affect another person’s privacy. If we refuse, we will tell you why in writing and explain how to complain.
Making a complaint
If you believe we have mishandled your information, please contact us first using the details below. We will acknowledge your complaint and aim to resolve it within 30 days.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to:
- Office of the Australian Information Commissioner — oaic.gov.au, 1300 363 992
- NSW Information and Privacy Commission — ipc.nsw.gov.au, 1800 472 679
Our website
Our website uses cookies for basic functionality and, where enabled, analytics that help us understand how the site is used. You can block or delete cookies in your browser, though some parts of the site may not work as well.
Enquiry and booking forms submitted through this website are transmitted over an encrypted connection and stored so we can respond to you. Our online booking is provided by a third party, Core Practice; when you use it, that provider’s own privacy policy applies to the information you give them.
Our website may link to other sites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices.
Our website chat assistant
Our website has an automated chat assistant that answers general questions about the practice, such as opening hours, parking, payment options and the treatments we offer. It is not a person and does not give dental or medical advice. Please do not enter health details, Medicare or health fund numbers, or other sensitive information into the chat. In an emergency, call us on (02) 4744 3754, or call 000.
What we collect — the questions you type and the assistant’s replies. If you ask for our team to contact you, we also collect your name, phone number, email address (if you give it), your question, and a record that you agreed to this policy. We do not store your IP address; we keep only a scrambled version of it to limit misuse of the chat. The conversation is also kept in your browser for the rest of your visit so it stays open as you move between pages; closing the browser tab clears it.
Why we collect it — to answer your question, to pass your enquiry to our practice manager so they can respond, to keep a record of what you were told, and to monitor and improve the assistant.
Who processes it — the assistant’s replies are generated by Anthropic, a company based in the United States. Each message you send, along with the recent messages in the same conversation, is sent to Anthropic’s service to produce a reply, so your messages may be processed overseas. Under its commercial terms, Anthropic does not use this information to train its AI models, and it deletes it from its systems within 30 days, unless it must keep it longer by law or to investigate misuse of its service. If you ask our team to contact you, your details and the conversation are emailed to our practice inbox.
How long we keep it — chat conversations and contact requests are kept for seven years, consistent with our record-keeping obligations, and are then deleted automatically. Only authorised practice staff can view them.
You can ask to see or correct a chat record, or make a complaint, using the contact details in this policy.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The version published on this page is the current one, and the effective date above tells you when it last changed.
Contact us
Privacy Officer
Omega Dental & Cosmetics
Shop 13, Jordan Springs Shopping Centre, 61–63 Water Gum Drive, Jordan Springs NSW 2747
info@omegadental.com.au · (02) 4744 3754
Monday to Saturday, 8:00am–5:00pm