Should an AI dental scribe store audio?

The short answer

It is a trade-off. Keeping the audio lets you check a disputed note against what was said. But a recording made during care is part of the patient’s clinical record, so it has to be kept securely, kept only as long as needed, and handed over if the patient asks for their records.

Deleting it quickly means less sensitive data to protect, but nothing to check the note against later. Whichever a scribe does, tell patients how long their recording is kept.

Is the recording part of the clinical record?

Yes, while it exists. MDDUS says any recording made while providing healthcare “forms part of their clinical record” and must be treated like other confidential information (MDDUS, video, image or audio recording of patient consultations). The same advice quotes the GDC: the duty of confidentiality covers audio recordings, and you must not make one without the patient’s permission (GDC Standard 4.2.9).

That brings three duties with it:

store it securely, as you would the notes;
keep it no longer than you need it, and say how long that is;
be ready to disclose it. GP guidance notes that “notes and recordings may need to be disclosed” when a patient makes a subject access request (GPC England’s summary of NHS England guidance).

What is the case for keeping audio?

You can check a line in the note against what was actually said, if you or the patient query it.
A transcription error can be traced to the recording rather than argued from memory.
A draft that went wrong can be written again from the same appointment.

Most of this value comes in the days after the appointment, while the note is fresh and still being checked.

What is the case for deleting it?

Less sensitive data held means less to lose in a breach.
Fewer files to find and send when a patient asks for their records.
Some patients are more comfortable when they know the recording won’t be kept.
The signed note is the clinical record; the audio was only a way to write it.

Some scribes delete audio as soon as it is transcribed and argue that a text-only record carries less risk (for example Kiroku, April 2026). Others keep it for a fixed period. There is no single rule; what matters is that the practice knows the period and can explain it.

What must you tell patients?

Tell them what is recorded, why, where it is kept, and for how long. GP guidance lists “how their data is stored and for how long” among the points to explain, along with the right to refuse or withdraw consent (GPC England summary). MDDUS likewise advises a full explanation of how a recording will be used, stored and protected (MDDUS).

Put the period in your privacy notice and on your poster, and make sure the team can answer if a patient asks. The consent kit has wording you can use.

What does Squte do, and why 30 days?

How Squte handles appointment audio
How long audio is kept	Audio is deleted 30 days after the note is signed. The signed note and transcript stay as the clinical record.
If the patient withdraws consent	The recording is deleted straight away.
Where it is kept	Stored encrypted on AWS servers in London.
Speech recognition	Deepgram’s EU service, with model improvement switched off on every request.
Used to train AI models	No.

Thirty days gives you time to check the note against the recording and to deal with an early question from the patient, without building up a store of recordings. The 30 days start when the note is signed, so sign notes promptly: it keeps the record contemporaneous too.

Where your patients’ recordings go names every company that handles the data, with links to their terms.

What should you ask any AI scribe about audio?

Is the audio stored at all? If so, where, and is it encrypted?
How long is it kept, and what starts the clock?
Who can listen to it, at the practice and at the supplier?
Is it used to train AI models, by the supplier or anyone it uses?
Can one patient’s recording be deleted on request?
Can you get a copy for a subject access request?