Teleconsultation Policy & Patient Consent
Version 2026-08-13 · Last updated 13 August 2026
This page sets out how an online dental consultation on dentalxpert.in is conducted, and what you are consenting to when you tick the consent box at booking. It follows the framework of the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines, 2020 — notified on 25 March 2020 as an amendment to the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 — applied to dental practice by a dentist registered under the Dentists Act, 1948.
1. Who is treating you
Your consultation is conducted by a dentist holding a recognised dental qualification and a current registration with a State Dental Council or the Dental Council of India. The dentist's name, qualification and registration number are displayed on this website and appear on every prescription and consultation summary issued to you.
You are entitled to ask the dentist to confirm their identity and registration number at the start of the call.
2. Identifying you
Before the consultation the dentist must be reasonably satisfied of your identity. We collect your name, mobile number and email at booking, and the dentist will confirm your name and age at the start of the call. Please do not book on behalf of another adult without them being present.
For a patient under 18, a parent or lawful guardian must book the appointment, be present throughout the call, and give consent on the child's behalf.
3. Your consent
Because you initiate the consultation yourself by booking it, your consent is implied under the Guidelines. We nevertheless take and record your explicit consent at booking, because it is clearer for everyone. When you tick the consent box you are confirming that you understand and accept the following:
- The consultation takes place remotely, over a video call, and is based on what you describe and what can be seen on camera.
- It does not include a physical examination, X-rays, scans or laboratory tests, all of which may be necessary for a definitive diagnosis.
- The dentist may conclude that your problem cannot be safely assessed or managed online and may advise an in-person visit. This is a valid outcome of the consultation.
- Technology can fail. A call may be interrupted, and audio or video quality may limit what the dentist can see.
- A record of the consultation, including your history and any prescription, will be created and retained.
- Your personal and health data will be processed as set out in our Privacy Policy.
We record the fact of your consent, the policy version, the date and time, and the IP address used. You may withdraw consent at any time before the consultation by cancelling; withdrawing consent afterwards does not undo a consultation that has already taken place.
4. What the dentist can do online
A teleconsultation is well suited to:
- triaging pain and deciding how urgent your problem is;
- taking a full history and looking at the area with your camera and a torch;
- reviewing photographs, earlier X-rays, reports or a treatment plan and quotation you have been given elsewhere;
- first-line advice on pain, swelling, bleeding gums, sensitivity, ulcers and post-procedure care;
- explaining treatment options, likely costs and timelines, so you can make an informed decision;
- second opinions and preventive advice.
5. What cannot be done online
No treatment can be delivered remotely. Fillings, extractions, scaling and polishing, root canal treatment, implants, orthodontic adjustments and any procedure requiring instruments must be done in person. A teleconsultation cannot give you a definitive diagnosis where imaging or a clinical examination is needed.
6. Prescribing
Where a prescription is clinically appropriate, the dentist may issue one, subject to the limits the Guidelines place on teleconsultation:
- Medicines specified in Schedule X of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 are never prescribed online.
- Narcotic and psychotropic substances listed under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 are never prescribed online.
- Prescribing on a first video consultation is limited to medicines that are safe to give without a physical examination — in dentistry this typically means analgesics, and antimicrobials or other medicines only where the clinical picture clearly justifies them.
- Anything requiring an examination, imaging or monitoring is referred for an in-person visit rather than prescribed remotely.
Every prescription carries the dentist's name, qualification and registration number, and is sent to you by email and stored in your account. Dispensing is at the pharmacist's discretion, and pharmacists may require the original prescription for certain schedules.
7. Records
The dentist maintains a record of each teleconsultation: the consent obtained, the history you gave, the findings and advice, any prescription and any referral. These records are retained as required of a registered practitioner. You receive your own copy by email and in your account, and can download it at any time.
8. Confidentiality
Everything you tell the dentist is confidential and subject to professional secrecy, and is protected in the same way as an in-person consultation. Please do not record the consultation without the dentist's written consent; equally, the dentist will not record it without yours. We may be required to disclose information where the law compels it.
9. If something goes wrong
If the call cannot go ahead because of a problem at our end, you are refunded in full — see the Refund Policy. If you are unhappy with the consultation itself, please raise it with our Grievance Officer first. You also retain your rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and may complain to the State Dental Council with which the dentist is registered.