What Is Personal Health Information?

Personal health information (PHI) is any information that identifies you and relates to your physical or mental health, the health services you receive, your dental and medical history, or your identity as a patient. Under PHIPA, we are required to protect this information and use it only for legitimate, consented purposes.

What Information We Collect

We collect personal health information in two main ways: through your in-person care at our clinic, and through your interactions with our website at drsezerassociates.ca.

Through your care at the clinic, we may collect:

• Your full name, date of birth, and contact information (phone number, email address, home address)
• Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) number and private dental insurance details
• Medical and dental history, including allergies, current medications, and previous dental or medical treatments
• X-rays, clinical photographs, impressions, and clinical notes related to your dental care
• Records of appointments, procedures performed, and follow-up care

Through our website booking request form, we collect:

• Your name, phone number, and email address
• Your preferred clinic location (Toronto or Hamilton)
• The type of service you are requesting
• Your preferred appointment date and time
• Any notes you choose to include, such as allergies, dental anxiety, or relevant dental history

Providing information through the booking form is voluntary. Without it, however, our team will not be able to contact you to schedule your appointment. The information you submit through the booking form is used only to follow up on your appointment request and to prepare for your first visit.

Please note: Submitting the booking form does not create a dentist-patient relationship or guarantee an appointment. A member of our team will contact you to confirm your booking and gather any additional information needed.

Why We Collect This Information

We collect your personal health information only for specific, legitimate purposes, including:

• Appointment scheduling and management — to book, confirm, remind, and follow up on your appointments
• Treatment planning and clinical care — to understand your dental health needs and provide safe, appropriate treatment
• Communication — to respond to your inquiries, send appointment reminders, and provide post-treatment instructions
• Insurance and billing — to process claims with your dental insurance provider and, where applicable, Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP)
• Regulatory and legal compliance — to meet our obligations under Ontario law, including requirements set by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO)
• Quality improvement — to review and improve the standard of care we provide to our patients

We collect only the information necessary to fulfill these purposes.

How We Use Your Information

Your personal health information is used only for the purposes described above or as otherwise permitted by PHIPA. We do not sell your information to any third party, and we do not use it for purposes unrelated to your dental care without your consent.

Marketing communications: If you have consented to receive email updates, newsletters, or promotional information from Dr. R. N. Sezer & Associates, we may contact you from time to time. You can opt out of these marketing communications at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link in any marketing email or by contacting us directly. Opting out of marketing emails will not affect appointment reminders, recall notices, or other communications related to your ongoing care. We comply with Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) for all electronic marketing messages.

Who We May Share Your Information With

We share your personal health information only when it is necessary to provide your care, when required by law, or when you have given your consent. Sharing may include:

• Other treating health professionals — if your dentist refers you to a specialist or another health provider, we may share relevant clinical records with that provider to support your continuity of care
• Dental laboratories — for the fabrication of crowns, porcelain veneers, dentures, bridges, or other appliances, we may share clinical specifications, impressions, or photographs with the laboratory involved
• Dental insurance providers — to process benefit claims on your behalf
• The Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO) and other regulatory bodies — if required by law, a professional standards review, or a quality assurance process
• Legal and law enforcement authorities — if required by a court order, subpoena, or other applicable legal obligation

We do not share your personal health information with third parties for their own marketing or commercial purposes.

Consent: Where disclosure of your PHI is not required by law, we will seek your consent before sharing it. You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions, and we will advise you of the implications of doing so.

How Long We Keep Your Records

Dr. R. N. Sezer & Associates retains dental records in accordance with the requirements of the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO). Dental records are kept for a minimum of 10 years from the date of the last entry in your record, or until you reach the age of 18, whichever is later.

Records may be kept for a longer period if required by law or if your ongoing care makes extended retention clinically appropriate.

When records are no longer required, we securely destroy or anonymize them to prevent unauthorized access.

Your Rights Under PHIPA

As a patient, you have the following rights with respect to your personal health information:

Right of Access: You have the right to request access to the personal health information we hold about you. We will respond to access requests within the timeframes required under PHIPA. A reasonable fee may apply to cover the cost of copying and preparing records.

Right of Correction: If you believe that your personal health information on file is inaccurate or incomplete, you may request that we correct it. We will review your request and either make the correction or, if we have clinical or legal grounds not to, note your correction request alongside the original record.

Right to Withdraw Consent: You may withdraw your consent to the collection, use, or disclosure of your personal health information at any time, except where we are legally required to retain or share it. Please be aware that withdrawing consent in certain circumstances may affect our ability to continue providing you with care.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Privacy Officer in writing using the contact information below.

Our Privacy Officer

We have designated a Privacy Officer who is responsible for overseeing our compliance with PHIPA and for responding to privacy-related questions, requests, and complaints.

How We Protect Your Information

We take the security of your personal health information seriously and maintain administrative, physical, and technical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information we hold.

Physical safeguards: Patient records are stored in secure, access-controlled areas within our clinic locations. Physical files are not left accessible to unauthorized individuals.

Administrative safeguards: Staff who handle personal health information receive training on their privacy obligations under PHIPA. Access to PHI is limited to team members who need it to carry out their professional duties.

Technical safeguards: Electronic records are managed through secure systems with password protection, access logging, and appropriate software controls. When transmitting health information electronically, we take reasonable steps to protect it in transit.

No security system is completely infallible. If you have concerns about how a specific piece of your information is being handled, please contact our Privacy Officer.

Website Cookies and Analytics

Our website, drsezerassociates.ca, may use Google Analytics or similar tools to collect non-identifiable information about how visitors interact with our site. This may include browser type, pages visited, time spent on the site, and general geographic region (not your specific address or identity). This information is collected in aggregate and is used only to understand how our website is being used and to improve it.

Google Analytics uses cookies — small text files placed in your browser — to gather this information. You can disable cookies through your browser settings, or opt out of Google Analytics tracking by using the Google Analytics opt-out tool.

We do not use website cookies to collect or store your personal health information.

How to File a Privacy Complaint

If you believe we have not properly protected your personal health information or have not complied with our obligations under PHIPA, we encourage you to contact our Privacy Officer first. We will work with you to understand and address your concern as quickly as possible.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to file a complaint directly with the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC):

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or applicable legislation. When we do, we will post the revised policy on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.