Data Sourcing Transparency

1. Our Data Philosophy

DentalVitals is built on publicly available, ethically sourced data. We aggregate information from official government registries, business directories, and public review platforms to create the most comprehensive dental practice intelligence platform. We do NOT use hacked databases, leaked datasets, or illegally obtained information.

2. Primary Data Sources

Google Business Profiles: Practice names, addresses, phone numbers, business hours, reviews, ratings, and photos published by practice owners on Google Maps.

State Dental Board Licensing Records: Provider names, license numbers, license status (active, suspended, revoked), disciplinary actions, and practice addresses as published by state regulatory authorities.

National Provider Identifier (NPI) Registry (NPPES): Provider demographics, specialties, taxonomy codes, practice locations, and contact information from the official CMS database.

Public Review Platforms: Aggregated ratings and review counts from Google, Yelp, Healthgrades, and other publicly accessible platforms (we do NOT scrape full review text without permission).

State Business Registries: Business entity information, incorporation dates, and registered agent details from Secretary of State databases.

3. What We Do NOT Use

✗ Hacked or leaked databases (no dark web data)

✗ Purchased private datasets from data brokers

✗ Patient records or Protected Health Information (PHI)

✗ Illegally obtained email lists or contact databases

✗ Social media scraping without API authorization

✗ Confidential business information or trade secrets

4. How Data is Collected

DentalVitals uses automated web aggregation tools to collect publicly available data from the sources listed above. Our collection methods comply with: (a) robots.txt directives; (b) terms of service for public APIs; (c) applicable copyright and database protection laws; (d) CFAA (Computer Fraud and Abuse Act) restrictions.

Data collection is performed via: (a) official public APIs (e.g., NPPES NPI Registry API); (b) authorized web scraping of public-facing pages; (c) manual verification for high-priority listings.

5. Data Verification and Quality

To ensure accuracy, DentalVitals employs the following verification procedures:

Cross-Referencing: Practice information is validated across at least three independent public sources before publication.

NPI Validation: All provider records are matched against the official NPPES NPI Registry to confirm identity and credentials.

License Status Checks: Provider licenses are periodically re-verified against state dental board databases to detect suspensions or revocations.

User Corrections: Practice owners can submit correction requests via [email protected], which trigger manual re-verification.

6. Data Freshness and Update Frequency

DentalVitals updates practice data on the following schedule:

NPI Registry: Monthly full refresh from NPPES API.

Google Business Profiles: Weekly updates for active practices in PRO user markets.

State Licensing Records: Quarterly updates for all US states (some states provide real-time APIs).

Review Platforms: Real-time updates for practices in active user dashboards; bi-weekly for broader database.

Practice Ownership Changes: Manually updated within 7 days of verified notification.

7. How to Request Data Correction

If you believe information about your practice on DentalVitals is inaccurate, you may request a correction:

Step 1: Email [email protected] with your practice name, NPI number (if applicable), and specific fields requiring correction.

Step 2: Provide supporting documentation (e.g., updated state license, official business registration, screenshot of corrected Google Business Profile).

Step 3: Our data team will verify your correction against authoritative public sources and update the record within 14 business days.

Note: We can only display data that exists in public sources. If the underlying public record (e.g., NPI Registry) contains an error, you must correct it at the source first.

8. Third-Party Data Processing

DentalVitals processes data using the following infrastructure providers:

Cloudflare Workers: Edge compute platform for data aggregation, transformation, and serving. Data remains encrypted in transit and at rest.

Cloudflare D1: Serverless SQL database for storing practice metadata. All data is encrypted and access-controlled.

No Data Sales: DentalVitals does NOT sell, rent, or license practice data to third parties. Data is used exclusively to provide our competitive intelligence service.

9. Compliance with Data Protection Laws

Our data collection and processing practices comply with:

✓ GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) — lawful basis: legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f))

✓ CCPA/CPRA (California Consumer Privacy Act) — public information exemption

✓ HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) — no PHI collected

✓ CFAA (Computer Fraud and Abuse Act) — authorized access only

✓ State privacy laws (Colorado, Virginia, Connecticut) — transparency and opt-out rights honored

10. Removal Requests for Publicly Sourced Data

Because DentalVitals displays publicly available information, we generally cannot remove practice listings unless: (a) the practice has permanently closed and public records confirm closure; (b) the data was obtained in violation of law (we will investigate and remove if verified); (c) a valid legal order requires removal.

To request removal, contact [email protected] with documentation supporting one of the above conditions.

11. Contact

For data sourcing questions, correction requests, or transparency inquiries, contact [email protected]. For general privacy concerns, see our Privacy Policy.