Why Canadian Dental Practices Are Cyberattack Targets

The email looked routine.

It said a patient had sent updated insurance information before an appointment. The name looked familiar. The timing made sense. The attachment looked ordinary.

That is what makes cybersecurity difficult in a dental practice. Risk often arrives disguised as normal front desk work.

Most dental teams are not careless. They are busy. They are helping patients, answering phones, managing forms, coordinating treatment, handling insurance, and communicating with labs, specialists, and vendors.

But because dental practices hold sensitive patient information, a single phishing email, vendor incident, lost device, unsafe AI prompt, or ransomware attack can quickly become more than an IT problem.

It can become a privacy issue.

For Ontario dental practices, it can become a PHIPA issue.

Quick Answer

Canadian dental practices are attractive cyber targets because they hold sensitive patient information, use busy digital workflows, rely on third-party vendors, and may not have the same internal IT and cybersecurity resources as larger healthcare organizations.

For Ontario dental practices, PHIPA is especially important. The Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario’s Professional Liability Program explains that Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 governs the collection, use, and disclosure of personal health information by dentists and other health information custodians practising in Ontario.  

The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario says health information custodians must take reasonable steps to protect personal health information against theft, loss, unauthorized use or disclosure, and unauthorized copying, modification, or disposal.  

That means cybersecurity is not separate from privacy. In a dental practice, it is part of protecting patient trust.

Who This Is For

This article is written for Canadian dental practice owners, dentists, office managers, privacy officers, and dental team leaders who want to understand how cybersecurity, privacy compliance, PHIPA, ransomware, vendor risk, and AI-related phishing connect in a dental office.

Why Dental Practices Are More Exposed Than Many Teams Realize

A dental practice is a healthcare provider, a small business, a payment environment, an employer, and a technology user all at once.

That creates many entry points.

A dental team may receive emails with attachments from patients, insurers, specialists, labs, suppliers, and vendors. A treatment coordinator may send records. A dentist may review imaging remotely. A manager may approve invoices. A hygienist may use a shared workstation. A vendor may access systems for support. A team member may test an AI tool to save time writing patient instructions.

None of these workflows is unusual.

That is exactly why they need attention.

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security’s National Cyber Threat Assessment 2025–2026 describes cyber threats affecting Canada and how they are expected to evolve, including threats to Canadian individuals and organizations.   The Cyber Centre’s Ransomware Threat Outlook 2025–2027 was created to inform Canadian organizations about ransomware’s impact on Canada and Canadian organizations.  

Dental practices should not read that as a reason to panic.

They should read it as a reason to prepare.

Why Patient Data Is Valuable

Dental records can contain more than clinical notes.

They may include:

• Names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses
• Dates of birth
• Insurance details
• Medical history
• Medication information
• Imaging and diagnostic records
• Payment and billing details
• Family information
• Appointment patterns
• Correspondence with specialists, insurers, and labs

This information can be useful to criminals because it may support identity theft, fraud, social engineering, extortion, or more convincing phishing attempts.

The Canadian Dental Association warns that phishing can be used to deliver malware or ransomware through documents, links, or fake websites, putting a dental practice at risk.  

That matters because dental teams handle messages all day.

A risky email may not look strange. It may look like an updated insurance form, a lab file, a resume, a refund request, a supplier invoice, or a patient record transfer.

Why Cybersecurity Is Different in a Dental Practice

Cybersecurity in a dental office is different from general small-business cybersecurity because dental teams handle personal health information throughout the day.

A dental practice may receive patient attachments, referral letters, insurance forms, medical updates, lab files, payment information, and imaging records. A single phishing email, vendor incident, lost device, unsafe file-sharing habit, or unsafe AI prompt can become both a cybersecurity issue and a privacy issue.

That is why dental cybersecurity training Canada should be practical, role-based, and connected to real dental workflows.

The front desk does not need a lecture on abstract cyber theory. The team needs to know what to do when a message looks normal but feels slightly off.

What PHIPA Means for Ontario Dental Practices

PHIPA stands for Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004. It sets rules for how health information custodians collect, use, disclose, protect, retain, and dispose of personal health information.

For dental practices in Ontario, PHIPA matters because patient records, health histories, imaging, treatment notes, billing details, and communications may all contain personal health information.

PHIPA is not only about whether someone intentionally looked at a patient chart without permission.

It also deals with whether personal health information was properly protected.

The IPC says custodians are required to take reasonable steps to protect personal health information from theft, loss, unauthorized use or disclosure, and unauthorized copying, modification, or disposal.  

For a dental practice, reasonable safeguards may include:

• Staff privacy and cybersecurity awareness training
• Strong passwords and multi-factor authentication
• Access controls based on role
• Secure email and file-sharing processes
• Vendor due diligence
• Tested backups
• Incident response planning
• Clear reporting steps for suspicious messages
• Documentation showing what the practice has done

The key word is not “perfect.”

The key phrase is reasonable in the circumstances.

A dental practice does not need to operate like a national hospital network. But it does need to be able to show that it took privacy and security risk seriously.

Ransomware Is Also a Privacy Breach Issue

Many teams think of ransomware as an IT problem.

It is. But in healthcare, it can also be a privacy breach problem.

In PHIPA Decision 254, the IPC found that a ransomware attack resulted in both unauthorized use and loss of personal health information, which triggered a duty to notify affected individuals at the first reasonable opportunity.  

In PHIPA Decision 249, a clinic experienced a ransomware attack where the threat actor encrypted and exfiltrated files from electronic medical records and file-sharing servers, deleted backups, and the clinic ultimately decided to pay the ransom.  

The practical lesson for dental practices is clear: if ransomware affects systems containing patient information, the practice may need to think beyond restoring computers.

It may also need to assess privacy breach obligations, notification duties, evidence preservation, vendor responsibilities, patient communication, and documentation.

PHIPA Enforcement Has Become More Serious

Ontario’s privacy enforcement environment has changed.

As of January 1, 2024, the IPC has discretion to issue administrative monetary penalties under PHIPA. The IPC states that penalties may be up to $50,000 for individuals and $500,000 for organizations.  

In 2025, the IPC announced the first administrative monetary penalty under Ontario’s health privacy law. A doctor was ordered to pay $5,000 for unauthorized access and use of patient hospital records for personal financial gain, and a clinic was ordered to pay $7,500 for failing to meet basic PHIPA obligations.  

That case was not a dental case. But it matters to dental practices because it shows a broader shift: privacy obligations need to be active, documented, and working.

For a dental office, it is not enough to say, “We care about privacy.”

A stronger answer is:

• Here is our privacy policy.
• Here is how we train the team.
• Here is when training was completed.
• Here is our breach response process.
• Here is how staff report suspicious messages.
• Here is how we review vendors.
• Here is how we limit access.
• Here is how we check that safeguards are working.

That is the difference between having privacy intentions and showing privacy readiness.

Vendor and Supply-Chain Risk Is Now a Dental Practice Issue

Most dental practices rely on outside providers.

That may include:

• Practice management software vendors
• Imaging software providers
• IT support companies
• Cloud backup providers
• Email platforms
• Payment processors
• AI documentation or transcription tools
• Website and form vendors
• Secure messaging platforms
• Consultants or outsourced admin services

These vendors can help a practice work better. But they can also create risk if access, contracts, security controls, and responsibilities are unclear.

PHIPA Decision 284 involved a ransomware attack against a shared IT service provider network used by multiple health information custodians. The IPC described the breach as involving exfiltration of electronic records containing personal health information of hundreds of thousands of patients and encryption of many network servers.  

In its case note on that decision, the IPC stated that custodians remain responsible for ensuring strong cybersecurity safeguards are in place, even when using third-party information infrastructure and services.  

For dental practices, this is one of the most important privacy lessons right now.

Outsourcing the technology does not outsource the accountability.

AI Is Adding a New Layer of Risk

AI tools can be useful in healthcare settings, but they also create privacy and security questions.

A team member may be tempted to paste patient details into an AI tool to help write a referral letter, appeal note, patient instruction sheet, or response to a complaint. Another team member may use an AI meeting assistant or AI scribe without understanding where the information goes, whether it is stored, or whether it is used to train a model.

The IPC released 2026 guidance on AI scribes for the health sector. That guidance focuses on assessing vendors and AI systems, setting contractual safeguards, monitoring AI systems over time, and developing governance and accountability frameworks to protect personal health information and support PHIPA compliance.  

AI is also changing phishing.

Get Cyber Safe says AI can make vishing scams more convincing by creating voice recordings that copy speech patterns and tones.   The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security also notes that AI can help threat actors gather and analyze public information to craft more personalized spear phishing and whaling messages.  

For dental teams, that means old advice like “watch for spelling mistakes” is no longer enough.

A phishing email may be polished, specific, and written in a tone that sounds familiar.

Training needs to reflect that.

What PHIPA-Ready Cybersecurity Looks Like in a Dental Practice

A PHIPA-ready dental practice does not need to do everything at once.

It does need a practical privacy and cybersecurity program that fits the size, workflow, and risk level of the office.

1. Train the Whole Team

Cybersecurity is not just an IT role.

Front desk, clinical, administrative, management, and provider roles all touch patient information in different ways. Training should help the team recognize everyday risks, including phishing emails, unsafe file sharing, weak passwords, AI privacy issues, ransomware warning signs, and suspicious vendor requests.

Training should be repeated, documented, and easy to understand.

2. Document Completion

If a regulator, insurer, lawyer, or patient asks what the practice has done, verbal reassurance may not be enough.

Keep records showing:

• Who completed training
• What training covered
• When it was completed
• How new team members are trained
• When refreshers happen
• What policies support the training

This is part of showing accountability.

3. Review Access

Dental practices should regularly ask:

• Who has access to patient records?
• Do former employees still have accounts?
• Are shared logins being used?
• Are admin privileges limited?
• Is remote access protected?
• Are logs available if something goes wrong?

In PHIPA Decision 249, the IPC noted that the clinic’s logs had limited data storage after the ransomware incident, which limited the available information for investigation.  

That is a useful reminder: logs, access records, and account management matter before an incident happens.

4. Strengthen Vendor Oversight

Before using a vendor that can access, store, process, transmit, or support systems containing patient information, the practice should ask basic questions:

• What personal health information can the vendor access?
• Where is the information stored?
• Is there a written agreement?
• What safeguards does the vendor use?
• Who can access the information?
• What happens if there is a breach?
• How will the vendor notify the practice?
• Is data backed up?
• Can the practice retrieve or delete data if the relationship ends?
• Does the vendor use AI or subcontractors?

These questions are not just technical. They are privacy governance questions.

5. Prepare for Breach Response

A privacy breach response plan should tell the team what to do when something goes wrong.

It should include:

• Who to notify internally
• How to contain the issue
• Who contacts IT or vendors
• How to preserve evidence
• How to assess whether personal health information was affected
• How to decide whether patients, the IPC, the regulator, insurer, or others must be notified
• Who communicates with patients
• How the incident is documented

The IPC explains that a privacy breach occurs when PHIPA has been contravened, including where personal health information is stolen, lost, or used or disclosed without authority.  

A breach plan helps the team act calmly instead of guessing under pressure.

Common Mistakes or Misunderstandings

“We are too small to be targeted.”

Small practices may not be targeted by name, but they can still be affected by phishing, ransomware, stolen passwords, vendor incidents, exposed remote access, and automated attacks.

Cybercriminals do not need to know your practice personally for your systems to be at risk.

“Our IT company handles that.”

IT support is important. But privacy accountability still belongs to the health information custodian.

Your IT provider may help implement safeguards. Your practice still needs to understand the risks, maintain agreements, train staff, and document reasonable steps.

“We have a privacy policy, so we are covered.”

A policy is only one part of compliance.

The more important question is whether the team understands it, follows it, and can show evidence of training, safeguards, and response processes.

“AI tools are fine if we remove the patient’s name.”

Removing a name may not be enough. A patient may still be identifiable through details such as age, appointment date, treatment details, medical history, location, or unusual circumstances.

Before using AI tools with any patient-related information, dental practices should have clear rules, approved tools, vendor review, and team training.

“Phishing emails are easy to spot.”

Some are. Many are not.

AI-generated messages, familiar sender names, realistic invoice language, and urgent patient requests can make phishing harder to recognize. The team needs current examples and a simple process for reporting suspicious messages.

Cybersecurity Checklist for Canadian Dental Practices

Use this as a starting point for a practical readiness review:

• Train the team on phishing, ransomware, privacy breaches, passwords, AI tools, and suspicious vendor requests.
• Use multi-factor authentication on email, remote access, cloud systems, and other key accounts.
• Review who has access to patient information and remove access for former team members.
• Check vendor agreements and confirm how patient information is protected.
• Maintain reliable backups and understand how restoration would work after an incident.
• Create a simple breach response plan.
• Keep records of training, safeguards, vendor reviews, and incident response steps.

What to Do Next

A good starting point is a simple readiness review.

Ask these questions at your next team or management meeting:

• When did our team last complete privacy and cybersecurity training?
• Do we have records showing who completed it?
• Do staff know what to do if they click a suspicious link?
• Do we use multi-factor authentication on email, remote access, and key systems?
• Do former employees still have any system access?
• Do we know which vendors can access patient information?
• Do our vendor agreements address privacy and security?
• Do we have a written breach response plan?
• Do we have clear rules for AI tools?
• Could we show our safeguards if asked?

If the answer to several of these is “not sure,” that is not a failure.

It is a useful starting point.

This is where practical, role-based dental cybersecurity training  can help a practice move from good intentions to documented action.

How Myla Helps

Myla Training Corp helps Canadian dental practices understand privacy, cybersecurity, and AI risk in plain language.

The goal is not to scare the team. The goal is to help them recognize everyday risks and respond with confidence.

Myla’s dental privacy training , cybersecurity awareness education, and dental AI training  are built for dental workflows, including front desk messages, patient information, phishing, ransomware, AI tools, vendor risk, and documentation.

For practices that want proof of completion, Myla also supports documented cybersecurity training  and certificates that can help show team education and readiness.

Privacy compliance is not just an administrative task. It is part of patient trust.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Canadian dental practices really need cybersecurity training?

Yes. Dental practices handle sensitive personal health information, financial information, insurance details, and day-to-day digital communications. Training helps the team recognize phishing, ransomware warning signs, unsafe AI use, privacy breaches, and vendor-related risks before they become larger problems.

Why are dental practices targeted by cybercriminals?

Dental practices may be targeted because they hold sensitive patient information, use busy email workflows, rely on third-party vendors, and may not have the same cybersecurity resources as larger healthcare organizations. A dental office does not need to be large to be affected by phishing, ransomware, stolen passwords, or vendor-related incidents.

Does PHIPA apply to Ontario dental practices?

Yes. RCDSO’s Professional Liability Program states that PHIPA governs the collection, use, and disclosure of personal health information by dentists and other health information custodians practising in Ontario.  

Does PHIPA specifically require cybersecurity training?

PHIPA requires health information custodians to take reasonable steps in the circumstances to protect personal health information. The law does not give every dental office one fixed cybersecurity training checklist, but staff training is a practical administrative safeguard that can help a practice show it is taking privacy and security risk seriously. The IPC describes the duty to protect personal health information against theft, loss, unauthorized use or disclosure, and unauthorized copying, modification, or disposal.  

What should dental cybersecurity training include?

Dental cybersecurity training should include phishing, ransomware, password safety, multi-factor authentication, safe email and file sharing, privacy breach reporting, AI tool risks, vendor access, remote work, and what staff should do if something seems suspicious.

What should a dental practice document?

At minimum, document privacy and cybersecurity policies, staff training completion, vendor reviews, access management, breach response steps, security safeguards, and incident follow-up. Documentation helps the practice show what it has done, not just what it intended to do.

Are vendors responsible if they cause a breach?

Vendors may have contractual and legal responsibilities, but the dental practice may still remain accountable for personal health information in its custody or control. The IPC has stated that custodians remain responsible for ensuring strong cybersecurity safeguards are in place even when using third-party information infrastructure and services.  

Can dental teams use AI tools with patient information?

Dental teams should be careful. Before using AI tools with patient-related information, a practice should review privacy risks, vendor terms, storage, access, consent, accuracy, governance, and PHIPA obligations. The IPC’s AI scribe guidance for the health sector emphasizes vendor assessment, contractual safeguards, monitoring, and accountability frameworks.  

Final Thoughts

Cybersecurity in a dental practice is not only about technology.

It is about patient trust.

Patients trust dental teams with information they would not share in many other settings. They trust the practice to protect that information, use it appropriately, and respond honestly if something goes wrong.

That trust is built through everyday habits: training, access controls, vendor review, safe communication, careful use of AI, and documented privacy readiness.

The most prepared practices are not the ones that pretend risk does not exist. They are the ones that talk about it calmly, train for it practically, and keep evidence of what they have done.

About Anne Genge

Anne Genge is the founder of Myla Training Corp, a Canadian dental AI, privacy, and cybersecurity training company. She helps dental practices understand technology risk in plain language and train their teams to recognize everyday privacy, cybersecurity, and AI-related risks.

Anne is a national speaker and educator on dental cybersecurity, privacy, and AI risk. Through Myla, she creates practical training for dental teams that supports safer workflows, better documentation, and more confident decision-making.

Learn More. Worry Less. Stay Safe.™

Sources / References

• Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario Professional Liability Program — Patient Privacy
  Supports: PHIPA applies to dentists and other health information custodians practising in Ontario.
  https://plp.rcdso.org/risk-management/casestudies/patient-privacy 
• Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario — Unauthorized Access
  Supports: Health information custodians must take reasonable steps to protect personal health information from theft, loss, unauthorized use or disclosure, and unauthorized copying, modification, or disposal.
  https://www.ipc.on.ca/en/health-organizations/unauthorized-access 
• Canadian Centre for Cyber Security — National Cyber Threat Assessment 2025–2026
  Supports: Canadian individuals and organizations face evolving cyber threats.
  https://www.cyber.gc.ca/en/guidance/national-cyber-threat-assessment-2025-2026 
• Canadian Centre for Cyber Security — Ransomware Threat Outlook 2025–2027
  Supports: Ransomware continues to affect Canada and Canadian organizations.
  https://www.cyber.gc.ca/en/guidance/ransomware-threat-outlook-2025-2027 
• Canadian Dental Association — Phishing
  Supports: Phishing can deliver malware or ransomware through documents, links, or fake websites and can put a dental practice at risk.
  https://www.cda-adc.ca/en/services/securesend/phishing/ 
• Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario — PHIPA Decision 254
  Supports: A ransomware attack resulted in unauthorized use and loss of personal health information, triggering notification duties.
  https://www.ipc.on.ca/en/decisions/latest-decisions/phipa-decision-254 
• Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario — PHIPA Decision 249
  Supports: A ransomware attack involved encryption and exfiltration of files from electronic medical records and file-sharing servers, deleted backups, and ransom payment.
  https://www.ipc.on.ca/en/decisions/latest-decisions/phipa-decision-249 
• Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario — Administrative Monetary Penalties under PHIPA
  Supports: As of January 1, 2024, the IPC may issue administrative monetary penalties under PHIPA, up to $50,000 for individuals and $500,000 for organizations.
  https://www.ipc.on.ca/en/media-centre/news-releases/administrative-monetary-penalties-under-personal-health-information-protection-act 
• Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario — First Administrative Monetary Penalty Issued under Ontario’s Health Privacy Law
  Supports: In 2025, the IPC announced penalties of $5,000 for a doctor and $7,500 for a clinic under Ontario’s health privacy law.
  https://www.ipc.on.ca/en/resources/first-administrative-monetary-penalty-issued-under-ontarios-health-privacy-law 
• Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario — PHIPA Decision 284
  Supports: A ransomware attack against a shared IT service provider involved exfiltration of electronic records containing personal health information and encryption of many network servers.
  https://www.ipc.on.ca/en/decisions/latest-decisions/phipa-decision-284 
• Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario — Custodians Must Ensure PHI Is Protected Even When Using Third-Party Providers
  Supports: Health information custodians remain responsible for strong cybersecurity safeguards even when using third-party information infrastructure and services.
  https://www.ipc.on.ca/en/cases-of-note/custodians-must-ensure-phi-protected-even-when-using-third-party-providers 
• Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario — AI Scribes: Key Considerations for the Health Sector
  Supports: IPC guidance on AI scribes, vendor assessment, contractual safeguards, monitoring, governance, accountability, and PHIPA compliance.
  https://www.ipc.on.ca/en/resources/ai-scribes-key-considerations-health-sector 
• Get Cyber Safe — Cyber Criminals Are Using Artificial Intelligence for Online Threats
  Supports: AI can make scams, including voice-based scams, more convincing.
  https://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/en/blogs/cyber-criminals-are-using-artificial-intelligence-ai-online-threats 
• Canadian Centre for Cyber Security — Don’t Take the Bait: Recognize and Avoid Phishing Attacks
  Supports: AI can help threat actors craft more personalized spear phishing and whaling messages.
  https://www.cyber.gc.ca/en/guidance/dont-take-bait-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-attacks