What is the appropriate method for terminating the dentist–patient relationship (patient dismissal)?

Correct answer: B. Send written notice by certified mail, offer emergency care for a reasonable period, and assist with transfer of records

• A. Silently declining to schedule constitutes ABANDONMENT — terminating care without notice or opportunity to secure another provider — and is legally actionable, particularly if treatment is in progress.
• B. CORRECT. Proper dismissal requires WRITTEN NOTIFICATION sent by certified mail with return receipt (establishing proof of delivery), a statement that the relationship is ending, an offer to remain available for EMERGENCY care for a reasonable interval — commonly 30 days — a recommendation that the patient seek another provider promptly, and an offer to forward records upon written authorization. Following this protocol is what protects the dentist from a claim of ABANDONMENT.
• C. Records may NOT be held hostage to an unpaid balance. The record belongs to the patient in terms of access rights, and withholding it is both an ethical violation and, in most jurisdictions, illegal. Pursue the balance as a separate financial matter.
• D. A verbal-only dismissal leaves no documentation. Without proof of proper notice, the dentist cannot defend against an abandonment claim.

Note: Do not dismiss a patient in the MIDDLE of active treatment — complete the phase in progress or bring the patient to a stable interim state first. And never dismiss for a discriminatory reason (disability, infectious disease status, race, national origin), which violates civil rights law including the ADA.