Digital signature of electronic dental records

Introduction: The purpose of this article is to examine the feasibility of digital signature technology to guarantee the legal validation of electronic dental records. Methods: The possible uses of digital signature technology, the actual use of digital signature technology to authenticate electronic dental records, the authentication of each part of the electronic dental record, the general legal principles involved, how to digitally sign electronic dental record files, and the limitations of this method are discussed. Results and Conclusions: It is possible to obtain electronic dental records that carry the same legal certainty as conventional, nonelectronic records. For this purpose, each part of the electronic dental records should be digitally signed by the author of the document. (Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2012; 141: 662-5)