Florida Department of Health, Medical Quality Assurance; Board of Dentistry

How the official source says to file

• Follow the official page’s Health Care Complaint Portal link. Ordinary licensed-practitioner complaints must be written, signed and legally sufficient; they cannot be filed by telephone.
• Provide supporting records, correspondence, contracts and other relevant copies. DOH instructs the patient or legal representative to obtain the records. Downstream online signature and authorization fields were not readable; contact Consumer Services if you need assistance.

Supporting guidance: Florida DOH: Complaints and Enforcement ↗Florida Statutes: section 456.073 ↗

What this route may not provide

DOH pursues administrative sanctions and cannot represent you in civil claims for fees or injury damages. Its instructions exclude ordinary fee and billing disputes, personality conflicts and rudeness. A complaint should explain a possible professional violation rather than infer misconduct from an office’s ownership or insurer relationship.

Supporting guidance: Florida DOH: Complaints and Enforcement ↗

Do not guess about confidentiality

Anonymous written complaints may be investigated when legally sufficient, substantial and supported after preliminary inquiry. The practitioner generally receives the complaint. Public confidentiality generally ends ten days after probable cause or earlier waiver by the subject; patient records remain protected.

Supporting guidance: Florida Statutes: section 456.073 ↗Florida DOH: Complaints and Enforcement ↗

Six-year administrative-complaint rule with exceptions

Section 456.073(13) generally requires the agency’s administrative complaint within six years of the incident. Criminal conduct, controlled-substance diversion, sexual misconduct and impairment are excepted. Fraud, concealment or intentional misrepresentation preventing discovery can extend the period, no later than twelve years after the incident. File promptly so the agency has time to act.

Supporting guidance: Florida Statutes: section 456.073 ↗

What may happen after filing

DOH assesses legal sufficiency, investigates and refers supported matters for probable-cause review and possible discipline. Cases can close without discipline; complainants receive status information. This licensing process does not guarantee financial recovery.

Supporting guidance: Florida DOH: Complaints and Enforcement ↗Florida Statutes: section 456.073 ↗

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.