Who owns the dental records?

• A. The patient owns all rights
• B. The dental office custodial rights; patient property rights; copy on request
• C. The insurer owns them
• D. The government owns them

Answer: (B)

Dental records are kept by the dental office as the custodian, while the patient has property rights to their own information and can request copies. This arrangement means the practice maintains and protects the records for ongoing care and regulatory compliance, but the patient owns the right to access and obtain copies, and to have those records transferred to another provider if desired. The insurer or government don’t own the records; they may obtain information only with proper authorization or when required by law.