Recent UK Dental Practice Data Breach's and Fines:

Diamond Court Dental Practice, Fresh Dental Practice and the Congleton Dental Centre
Numerous dental practices across the UK have been fined or faced legal action due to data breaches resulting from GDPR non-compliance. Many incidents go unreported and are settled out of court, meaning they do not appear in public records. This significantly understates the scale of data protection failures within the dental sector.

Legal Requirement for an Independent Data Protection Officer

Under the ICO guidelines and the UK GDPR Act 2018, every public authority and high-risk data controller is required to appoint an Independent Data Protection Officer (DPO).
The DPO is legally responsible for ensuring that any personal data breach is reported to the ICO within 72 hours, as mandated by GDPR.

Diamond Court Dental – Phishing Incident (September 2025)

Diamond Court Dental reported a system breach involving phishing emails sent to patients. While the practice stated that health and financial records were not compromised, the incident highlighted vulnerabilities in email security and data protection controls.

Fresh Dental (Guernsey) – Microsoft 365 Account Breach (October 2024)

Fresh Dental suffered a data breach following a phishing attack that allowed unauthorised access to an employee’s Microsoft 365 account. The incident resulted in regulatory sanctions due to identified security failings and inadequate protective measures.

Congleton Dental Centre – Ransomware Attack (April 2023)

Congleton Dental Centre experienced a ransomware attack that potentially exposed personal data belonging to approximately 15% of its patients. The compromised data included names, contact details, and dates of birth.

British Dental Association (BDA) – Cyberattack (July 2020)

The British Dental Association was targeted in a cyberattack where hackers potentially accessed bank account details and, in some cases, patient information linked to insurance claims. This incident led to group legal action and regulatory scrutiny.

Key GDPR Compliance Risks for Dental Practices

Dental practices face heightened GDPR risks due to the volume of sensitive patient data they handle. Common risk areas include:

  • Phishing and email-based attacks

  • Inadequate access controls

  • Lack of staff GDPR training

  • Absence of an independent DPO

  • Delayed breach detection and reporting