1. Who We Are
Oshawa Downtown Dental is a dental clinic located at Unit 3A, 100 Bond St. E., Oshawa, Ontario, L1G 0E6, Canada.
• Phone: (905) 571-2288
• Email: info@oshawadowntowndental.ca
For privacy-related questions, concerns, or requests, please contact our Privacy Officer using the information in Section 13 below.
2. Information We Collect
We may collect the following types of information:
Personal Information you provide directly: Name, phone number, email address, mailing address, and any details submitted through our contact form, appointment request form, or newsletter subscription.
Personal Health Information (PHI): As a dental practice, we collect personal health information necessary to provide care, including:
- Patient health and dental records
- Treatment history, diagnoses, and treatment plans
- Health card numbers and other government health identifiers
- Dental x-rays, photographs, and clinical images
- Insurance information and billing records
- Information provided on medical and dental history forms
Automatically Collected Information: When you visit our Site, we and our third-party service providers (including Google) may automatically collect information such as your IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, referring website, and general interaction data through cookies, tags, and similar technologies.
Information from Advertising Platforms: We use Google Ads and may use Google Analytics and the Meta (Facebook/Instagram) pixel to measure the effectiveness of our advertising and understand how visitors interact with our Site. These tools may collect conversion data (such as form submissions or calls) and general demographic or interest information provided by the platform. No personal health information is ever shared with these platforms.
3. Why We Collect Personal Health Information and How It Is Used
We collect and use personal health information for the following purposes:
- Diagnosis and treatment — to assess your oral health, develop treatment plans, and provide dental care
- Continuity of care — to maintain accurate records for follow-up appointments, referrals, and ongoing treatment
- Billing and payment — to process payments, issue receipts, and submit claims to insurers or government health programs
- Insurance and direct billing — to verify coverage and communicate with insurance providers on your behalf, with your consent
- Legal and regulatory compliance — to meet record-keeping obligations under RCDSO standards and applicable health legislation
- Quality assurance and practice management — to support appointment scheduling, recall reminders, and internal record management
We will never use your personal health information for marketing or advertising purposes without your express consent.
4. Who We May Share Personal Health Information With
We may share your personal health information with the following parties, only as necessary and in accordance with PHIPA:
- Dental specialists and other healthcare providers — for referrals, consultations, or continuity of care (e.g., oral surgeons, orthodontists, periodontists)
- Dental laboratories — for the fabrication of crowns, dentures, aligners, and other dental appliances, using only the information necessary for the work order
- Insurance providers and third-party payors — for claims processing, coverage verification, and direct billing, with your consent
- Public health authorities — where required or permitted by law, such as for reportable communicable diseases
- Regulatory bodies — such as the RCDSO,where required for licensing, quality assurance, or complaint investigations
- Legal authorities — where required by court order, subpoena, or other legal process
- Substitute decision-makers — where you are unable to consent and a legally authorized representative is acting on your behalf
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal health information to any third party, including for marketing purposes.
5. How We Use Your Information (General)
In addition to the uses of PHI described above, we use the information we collect to:
- Respond to inquiries submitted through our contact form
- Send newsletters or promotional communications where you have consented
- Operate, maintain, and improve our Site
- Measure and improve the performance of our Google Ads campaigns and other marketing
- Protect against fraud, unauthorized transactions, and other liabilities
6. Consent
We collect, use, and disclose personal information, including personal health information, only with your knowledge and consent, except where otherwise permitted or required by law. By submitting information through our Site or by attending the Clinic, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of that information as described in this Policy.
You may withdraw or limit your consent at any time, subject to legal, contractual, or professional restrictions (for example, we may be legally required to retain certain health records even if consent is withdrawn). To withdraw consent, contact us using the details in Section 13.
7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our Site uses cookies and similar technologies, including those associated with Google Tag Manager and Google Ads, to:
- Remember your preferences
- Understand how visitors use our Site
- Measure advertising campaign performance
- Deliver and personalize ads and measure conversions, including remarketing
You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings, though this may affect Site functionality. Where required, we obtain your consent before using non-essential cookies via a cookie consent notice.
To learn how Google uses information from sites that use its services, visit: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites
8. Google Ads and Online Advertising
We advertise our services using Google Ads. As part of this:
- We may use remarketing to show ads to people who have previously visited our Site as they browse other websites.
- We may use conversion tracking to measure actions such as appointment requests or phone calls resulting from our ads.
- We do not target or advertise based on sensitive categories, including health conditions, dental treatments received, or any personal health information, consistent with Google’s advertising policies for healthcare-related businesses.
- Any data shared with Google for advertising measurement is limited to non-sensitive, aggregated information necessary for campaign performance.
You may opt out of personalized advertising through Google’s Ads Settings at https://adssettings.google.com or through the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada at https://youradchoices.ca.
9. Data Security and Safeguards
As a health information custodian under PHIPA, we maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal health information and personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, loss, or modification. These safeguards include:
- Access-controlled physical storage and electronic systems
- Restricted staff access based on role and need
- Confidentiality agreements for staff and contractors
- Secure transmission and storage of digital records
While we take reasonable steps to secure your information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. Data Retention
We retain personal information, including dental and personal health records, only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Policy or as required by RCDSO regulations, PHIPA, and other applicable laws. Adult patient records are generally retained for at least ten years from the date of the last entry, and records for minors are retained until they reach the age of majority plus the applicable retention period. After this period, records are securely destroyed or de-identified.
11. Your Privacy Rights
Under PIPEDA and PHIPA, you have the right to:
- Access the personal information and personal health records we hold about you
- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
- Withdraw consent for non-essential uses of your information, such as marketing communications
- File a complaint about how we handle your personal information
To exercise these rights, contact our Privacy Officer (Section 13). We will respond within a reasonable time and in accordance with applicable law.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact:
- Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada – www.priv.gc.ca
- Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario – www.ipc.on.ca
12. Disclosure of General Information to Third Parties
In addition to the PHI disclosures described in Section 4, we may share non-health information with:
- Service providers who support appointment scheduling, billing, IT hosting, and website management, under contractual obligations to protect your information
- Google and Meta, for website analytics and advertising measurement (non-PHI only)
We do not sell your personal information to third parties.
13. Contact Us / Privacy Officer
Privacy Officer Oshawa Downtown Dental Unit 3A, 100 Bond St. E., Oshawa, ON L1G 0E6 Phone: (905) 571-2288 Email: info@oshawadowntowndental.ca
14. Children’s Privacy
Our Site is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children through our Site without parental or guardian consent. Information about pediatric patients is collected only through clinical intake with the consent of a parent or legal guardian, in accordance with PHIPA.
15. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. The “Last Updated” date above indicates when this Policy was last revised.
16. External Links
Our Site may contain links to third-party sites, including Google, Meta, Facebook, and Instagram. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to review their respective privacy policies.