Dental sedation consent forms and AI privacy: what a sedation consent gives away in ChatGPT or Claude.

A sedation consent form is the document a patient reads and signs before intravenous sedation, and it is the longest and most personal consent a dental practice uses. It asks for the medical history that affects the drugs, the fasting and escort arrangements, the risks in plain English and a declaration about alcohol and other substances. Staff paste forms like this into ChatGPT or Claude to simplify the wording or fill in the next patient’s. This page marks every item in a routine sedation consent that the Privacy Act and the Dental Board’s Code of conduct bear on, and shows how the same form is prepared on Ermos inside the practice.

The sedation consent form

Given to the patient before a sedation appointment and signed in the practice. Section 4.2, item 7 of the Code of conduct asks practitioners to document consent appropriately, including considering written consent for higher-risk procedures.

An invented consent form. The practice, dentists, patient, GP and clinic are fictional; the phone number is a placeholder. Hover or tap any highlighted item for the analysis; the full list is below.

What leaves the practice

1. 1
   The patient

   A full name, date of birth and home address on a consent form. Personal information under the Privacy Act and health information as it is collected in providing a health service. Patient data guide.

2. 2
   Health details that drive the sedation plan

   Sleep apnoea, a psychiatric medication, a body measurement and the patient’s GP. Health information is sensitive information under the Privacy Act, and these facts decide how the sedation is done. Patient data guide.

3. 3
   Fasting and clothing instructions

   Standard pre-sedation instructions. The practice’s template wording for every sedation patient and not about anyone in particular.

4. 4
   The escort

   A named spouse, her phone number and the commitment that she will stay for 24 hours. A third party’s personal information, collected for the patient’s safety. Privacy Act guide.

5. 5
   The risks, tailored to this patient

   The standard risks, plus a sentence tying the airway risk to this patient’s sleep apnoea. Section 4.2 of the Code expects patients to be given information in a way they can understand before consent, and this wording is a record of that. Patient data guide.

6. 6
   The procedure and date

   Which teeth, what type of sedation and when. A clinical decision about a named person. Patient data guide.

7. 7
   The fee and deposit

   What he is paying and that he has paid. Financial consent information, with a card payment on file. Privacy Act guide.

8. 8
   Alcohol and drug declaration

   His honest answer about drinking and a promise about the day before. Health information, and the item that the dentist must rely on being true. Patient data guide.

9. 9
   The signature and witness

   The record that the patient agreed, witnessed by a named employee. Section 4.2 item 7 asks practitioners to document consent appropriately; this is the evidence of it.

10. 10
    The sedation practitioner

    A named dentist and a qualification. Public information about a registered practitioner, tied to the procedure.

What happens in Frontier Models (ChatGPT, Claude)

• The whole document is transmitted to the provider’s servers. On personal plans the user cannot choose where it is stored or processed, and for the major providers that has generally meant outside Australia, under that country’s legal process. Some business plans offer storage in Australia, but the provider still receives the content.
• On consumer tiers, prompts can be retained and used to train future models.
• The provider’s staff and systems can reach the content under the provider’s own policies.
• Once sent, the practice no longer controls it. Retention and deletion happen on the provider’s terms.

The same document on Ermos

Part of AI data leakage in dental practices.

Common questions