Care first. Seek urgent medical or dental attention for serious or worsening symptoms. Researching or preparing a complaint should never delay treatment.

Kentucky · Dental

Kentucky Board of Dentistry

Complaint instructions checked against the linked sources, with limitations and known conflicts. Confirm that the authority covers your concern.

Authority and scope

Check the license and concern

Dentists, dental hygienists and registered dental assistants. Anyone may complain about possible Dental Practice Act or rule violations. Identify the individual involved; the current form says a business name alone is insufficient.

Supporting guidance: Kentucky: complaints and investigationsKentucky: complaint and records release

Submission

How the official source says to file

  • Complete and sign the official complaint form with dates, locations, witnesses, practitioner identity and factual allegations. Initial continuation pages and attach supporting documents.
  • The packet includes a patient-or-guardian records authorization covering relevant medical, dental and billing information for one year. The webpage calls it necessary when applicable; for treatment complaints, complete it or ask staff what is required.
  • Mail to 312 Whittington Parkway, Suite 101, Louisville, KY 40222; fax to 502-429-7282; email kbd@ky.gov; or deliver in person as the FAQ permits.

Supporting guidance: Kentucky: complaints and investigationsKentucky: complaint and records release

Limits

What this route may not provide

The Board protects patient health and safety. It generally excludes fee disputes and cannot order financial restitution or criminal penalties. A licensing complaint does not provide an award of money damages.

Supporting guidance: Kentucky: complaints and investigations

Anonymity

Do not guess about confidentiality

Signed complaints generally identify the complainant to the professional. The FAQ describes emergency exceptions for infection-control concerns or impairment; discuss anonymity with staff. Formal-action records may include the complaint and hearing evidence and become public; patient treatment records remain protected.

Supporting guidance: Kentucky: complaints and investigations

Complaint timing

Ask promptly; no filing deadline verified

A filing deadline was not established by this check; ask promptly. Investigations can take months. The FAQ's 20-day response period is for the licensee after notification, not a deadline for patients to file.

Supporting guidance: Kentucky: complaints and investigations

Process

What may happen after filing

Staff investigate and the Law Enforcement Committee reviews evidence. It can dismiss, gather more information, propose settlement or send a case to hearing. Both parties receive the final decision; disciplinary action is not automatic.

Supporting guidance: Kentucky: complaints and investigations

Evidence

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

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.

A state authority is one checkpoint—not the entire accountability system.

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