Wisconsin dental regulations require a dentist to keep patient records for 10 years from the date of the patient’s last office visit. The dentist must maintain the patient’s complete dental record, which may include treatment notes, evaluations, diagnoses, prognoses, X-rays, photographs, diagnostic models, laboratory reports, laboratory prescriptions, drug prescriptions, insurance claim forms, billing records and other technical information used in accessing a patient’s condition.
In some cases, it is recommended a dentist keep patient records for greater than 10 years. For example, dental records of minors (newborn to age 18 should likely be maintained in their original form until the later of either the patient reaching the age of 21 or 10 years after the last date of treatment/service.
Failure to retain patient records for the required 10-year period could subject a dentist to penalties and fines, the loss of legal rights, spoiled evidence in a lawsuit and/or material disadvantage in litigation.
In addition to the legal requirements for retention of patient records, dentists should also consult with their professional insurance carrier regarding patient record retention. Some insurance carriers may have specific guidelines concerning the period of time that a practice owner should maintain patient records.
Download a sample record retention policy here. (Note: This is a comprehensive record retention policy that applies to all records that a dentist should retain.)
