An existing patient is considered a new patient after how many years without an appointment?

• A. 3 years
• B. 5 years
• C. 1 year
• D. 10 years

Answer: (A)

Time since the last visit determines whether a patient remains established or becomes new. In many dental and medical settings, three years is the standard cutoff: if more than three years have passed since the last appointment with the same provider, the patient is treated as a new patient when they return. This ensures a current, thorough intake—updated medical history, medications, allergies, consent, and a comprehensive exam—since long gaps mean the previous records may be out of date. The other timeframes don’t align with this common practice, which uses three years as the threshold.