DentaQuest Breach Exposes Dental and Personal Data of Over 23 Million People

DentaQuest disclosed a breach after unauthorized actors accessed its network between May 17 and May 20, exposing personal and dental health information tied to more than 23 million individuals. The company said the compromised data may include names, addresses, Social Security numbers, member IDs, Medicaid and Medicare numbers, provider names, diagnoses, treatment details, and billing information; some reporting said vision-related health data may also be involved. Public filings indicate at least 4.5 million notification letters are being sent, while DentaQuest has confirmed that at least 15 million people were affected and broader estimates place the total potential impact above 23.4 million.

The ShinyHunters extortion group claimed responsibility, alleging it stole about 234 GB of data and later posted the material on its dark web leak site after ransom talks failed. Reporting on the leaked files found roughly 2.6 million unique email addresses and a folder that appeared to contain more than 1.7 million Social Security numbers, many believed to belong to children in Texas. DentaQuest said it secured its systems, notified law enforcement, hired outside cybersecurity experts and Kroll to assess the incident, and is offering affected individuals 24 months of credit monitoring, fraud consultation, and identity theft restoration services.