Authority and scope
Check the license and concern
Dentists and dental hygienists are covered by the Board’s patient complaint route. Identify the treating professional, including the supervising dentist when an assistant’s work is involved; the checked instructions do not establish a separate assistant complaint credential. Describe treatment, consent, records, or safety facts rather than relying on an office’s ownership structure.
Supporting guidance: Alabama: patient complaint guidance ↗
How the official source says to file
- Complete the Board’s written complaint form fully, identify the dentist or hygienist, give event dates and a detailed chronology, and attach relevant supporting copies.
- Sign the complaint before a notary. Complete the patient-record and insurance-record authorizations, including the patient and witness signatures. The packet requests patient date of birth and Social Security number.
- The packet identifies the Board at 2229 Rocky Ridge Road, Birmingham, AL 35216. Confirm delivery questions with the compliance officer at 205-985-7267. The affected person generally files; exceptions include minors, incapacity, and practitioner or healthcare-provider reports.
Supporting guidance: Alabama: patient complaint guidance ↗Alabama: complaint and release packet ↗
What this route may not provide
The Board can discipline a license through fines, reprimand, probation, suspension, or revocation. It does not resolve fee disputes, personality conflicts, or rudeness and cannot compel refunds or compensate personal damages.
Supporting guidance: Alabama: patient complaint guidance ↗
Do not guess about confidentiality
The ordinary patient form requires your name and notarized signature. It warns that the complaint may be given to the dentist or hygienist, and you must be willing to testify and undergo cross-examination if needed. Anonymous wellness information has a limited, separate policy exception.
Supporting guidance: Alabama: complaint and release packet ↗Alabama: complaint and investigation policy ↗
Ordinary written complaints: four-year incident rule
Both the complaint form and investigation policy require the reported issue to have happened within the four years before filing. Ask promptly about unusual circumstances. Investigation can take several months; that estimate is separate from the filing rule and any court deadline.
Supporting guidance: Alabama: complaint and release packet ↗Alabama: complaint and investigation policy ↗Alabama: patient complaint guidance ↗
What may happen after filing
Staff check completeness and jurisdiction, seek the professional’s response and other evidence, and present findings for Board disposition. A case may close, result in other action, or proceed to a consent order or hearing.
Supporting guidance: Alabama: complaint and investigation policy ↗
Prepare a reviewable submission
State the concern you want reviewed, give a short chronology and factual consequences, and explain your request. Keep supporting records and follow the receiving authority’s instructions before attaching or sending them.
Sources and scope
Alabama: patient complaint guidance ↗
Dentist/hygienist scope, eligibility, notarization, limits and review.
Source checked: September 19, 2026
Alabama: complaint and release packet ↗
Four-year rule, identity, notarization, releases, disclosure and testimony.
Source checked: September 19, 2026
Alabama: complaint and investigation policy ↗
Four-year ordinary complaint rule, limited reporting exceptions and investigation stages.
Source checked: September 19, 2026
Source check: September 19, 2026. This records a review of the linked material, not a decision about your case. No clinical or legal reviewer is identified for this guide. Confirm current instructions with the receiving authority.