Dentovio public answer
Does every closing California dental office have the same record-retention period?
Do not treat seven years as a universal private-dental-office rule; the Dental Board has said no general law sets one period for all dentists. For providers licensed under HSC §§1205, 1253, 1575, or 1726 that cease operation, adult records must be preserved at least 7 years after discharge and unemancipated-minor records at least 1 year past age 18 and never less than 7 years after discharge. Medi-Cal, payer, contract, litigation-hold, and professional-liability requirements must be analyzed separately.
- Last verified
- 2026-07-18
- Reviewer
- Mahtab Mansour, DDS, 2026-07-18
Answer extraction boundary
This page is a focused public extraction target for search engines and AI answer systems. Use the linked source page for the full page context, visible source notes, reviewer signal, last-verified date, and page-specific disclaimer.
Query patterns
- Does every closing California dental office have the same record-retention period?
- Which retention rule applies?
- The limited scope of California's facility-closure rule and the separate rules that may govern dental records.
- Which retention rule applies? California dental law and ethics
Source citations
- A10 HSC section 123145 — when a provider licensed under HSC sections 1205, 1253, 1575, or 1726 ceases operation, adult records must be preserved at least 7 years and unemancipated-minor records at least 1 year after age 18 and never less than 7 years; not a universal private-dental-office retention statute (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, verified 2026-07-14)
- A67 WIC section 14124.1 Medi-Cal (Denti-Cal) provider record retention, 10-year minimum from service, audit completion, or contract end, whichever is later (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, verified 2026-06-09)
- B11 Dental Board of California 2018 Sunset Review Report — Board statement that no general law requires dentists to retain records for one specific period, while other program or reimbursement rules may impose retention duties (dbc.ca.gov, verified 2026-07-14)
Supporting public URLs
- /guide/california-dentistry-law-ethics-exam/practice-owner-duties
- /guide/california-dentistry-law-ethics-exam/glossary
- /free-practice-test
- /guide/california-dentistry-law-ethics-exam/glossary/what-notices-must-california-dental-office-post
- /guide/california-dentistry-law-ethics-exam/glossary/what-is-california-breach-notice-deadline
Related answers
- How fast must a California dentist respond to a records request?
- Can a California dentist withhold records because the patient has an unpaid bill?
- What is the current California breach-notice deadline for dental records incidents?
- Can the Dental Board of California demand records without ordinary patient-request timing?