Effective Date: 14 August 2025

At Melbourne Smiles Denture Clinic, we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring your personal and health information is handled in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), as well as applicable healthcare privacy legislation.

This policy explains how we collect, use, store, and disclose your information when you interact with our clinic — whether as a patient, carer, or website visitor.

By accessing our services or website, you agree to the practices outlined in this Privacy Policy.

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1. What We Collect

We may collect the following personal and health-related information:

• Full name, address, phone number, and email address
  
• Date of birth, gender, Medicare or DVA number
  
• Medical and dental history
  
• Health records and treatment plans
  
• Health insurance details (if applicable)
  
• Emergency contact or carer information
  
• Payment and billing details
  
• Any correspondence via email, phone, web forms, or in-person
  

We may also collect limited non-identifiable data from your browser when you visit our website (e.g. device type, IP address, time of visit).

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2. How We Use Your Information

Your information is collected and used only when necessary for:

• Providing you with dental and prosthetic treatment
  
• Coordinating care with referring dentists, specialists, or laboratories (with consent)
  
• Contacting you for appointment scheduling, recalls, or follow-ups
  
• Managing billing, claims, and payments
  
• Responding to your enquiries or concerns
  
• Meeting our legal, regulatory, or professional obligations
  

We will only use or disclose your information for the purposes it was collected, unless required or permitted by law.

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3. Storage and Security

We store your records securely in both electronic and hard copy formats. We take all reasonable steps to:

• Protect your data from unauthorised access or disclosure
  
• Prevent loss, misuse, or unauthorised modification
  
• Ensure only trained staff with a legitimate need can access your records
  

Despite our best efforts, no system is completely secure. However, we follow industry best practices and comply with legal obligations regarding data security and breach response.

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4. Disclosure to Third Parties

We may disclose your information to:

• Treating dental or medical professionals (with consent)
  
• External laboratories or imaging providers involved in your treatment
  
• Private health insurers (with permission)
  
• Medicare or other government agencies, where required
  
• Our trusted IT, data storage, and communication service providers
  
• Legal, regulatory, or public health authorities as required by law
  

We will not disclose your information to third parties for marketing purposes without your express consent.

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5. Website, Cookies & Online Enquiries

Our website may use cookies to help us improve user experience and monitor site performance. These do not collect identifiable personal information unless submitted by you through a form.

If you contact us online (e.g. through our enquiry or appointment form), we may retain that correspondence to assist in your care or to respond to your request.

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6. Access and Correction

You have the right to access and request correction of your personal or health information. If you believe any information we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, please contact us and we will take reasonable steps to update it.

Requests for access may be subject to verification and may take a short time to process.

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7. Retention of Health Records

We retain patient records in accordance with applicable laws and guidelines (e.g. dental records must be kept for a minimum period after last contact). When no longer required, we securely archive or destroy information in accordance with professional obligations.

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8. Your Rights and Feedback

You may:

• Request access to your information
  
• Ask us to update or correct your records
  
• Withdraw consent (where applicable)
  
• Lodge a complaint if you believe we have mishandled your data
  

If you have any concerns or would like to provide feedback about how we manage your privacy, please contact us directly. We take privacy matters seriously and aim to resolve issues promptly and transparently.

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9. Updates to This Policy

This policy may be reviewed and updated periodically to reflect changes in legislation, technology, or clinic practices. The most current version will be published on our website.

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10. Contact Us

For all privacy-related enquiries or feedback, please contact:

Sheli Tsun
Chief Executive Officer
Melbourne Smiles Denture Clinic
sheli@melbsmiles.com.au

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