City and Guilds Dental Nursing Exam 2026: Complete Block 2 Practice Test

Confidentiality is at the heart of patient records. Dentists normally share information with the patient, and with authorised people, but there are specific safeguards when disclosure is not appropriate. The key idea here is that you may refuse to release information if it could cause serious harm to the patient, or if the record includes information about another identifiable person who has not given consent to release it. In those situations, protecting the patient and third parties takes precedence over disclosure. By contrast, simply because the patient requests the information, or because the patient is a minor, or because records are old, does not automatically justify withholding information. Those factors don’t establish the necessary risk or third-party consent issues that warrant refusal.