What's the difference between Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus?

Cyber Essentials is a verified self-assessment against five security controls. Cyber Essentials Plus tests the same controls with a hands-on technical audit by a licensed assessor. You must hold Cyber Essentials before doing Plus.

Do you do the work, or just assess us?

We do the work. Foresight runs the gap analysis, carries out hands-on remediation, prepares the evidence and liaises with the assessor, so you pass first time rather than paying to re-sit a failed audit.

How much does Cyber Essentials cost?

The IASME assessment fee is tiered by size from around £320 + VAT and includes £25,000 cyber liability insurance for eligible UK businesses. Cyber Essentials Plus is scoped to your estate, typically from around £1,380 + VAT.

Healthcare · Dental

AI for Dental Practices: where can dental practices use AI safely?

AI can save your team real hours — here’s where it genuinely helps dental practices, where to be careful, and how to use it safely.

Book an AI Readiness Audit Call 0161 738 1399

Why Foresight

Cyber Essentials Plus certified
Microsoft CSP & Copilot specialists
Greater Manchester, since 2006
Honest advice — not licence-selling

Quick answer

Dental practices can use AI for non-clinical admin — patient communications and reminders, policies, reports, rotas and answering common non-clinical queries — freeing the team for patient care. Patient and clinical records must stay within approved systems and out of public AI tools, with information governance (and NHS DSPT for NHS practices) applying. Clinical decisions stay with clinicians.

Where AI helps

Practical uses for dental practices

Area	Where AI fits
Patient comms	Reminders and messages — Copilot
Policies & admin	Drafting and updating — Copilot
Non-clinical queries	Common questions — an agent
Clinical records	Approved systems only — never public AI

Doing it safely

Governance first

Patient and clinical records must stay in approved systems and out of public AI tools; information governance and NHS DSPT apply. Before rolling anything out, tidy permissions, put a simple AI usage policy in place, keep sensitive data out of public tools, and keep a human in the loop — all part of our AI Adoption service. See also NHS Data Security & Protection Toolkit.

Free downloads

Start today with our templates

The same free, ready-to-use templates we use in our audits:

“Day in the Life” AI template

Find exactly where AI will save your team time.

Download →

AI Usage Policy template

A short, practical AI policy to keep your data safe.

Download →

FAQs

Common questions

Can dental practices use AI?

Yes — for non-clinical admin: patient comms, reminders, policies, reports and common queries. It frees the team for patient care.

Is AI safe for patient data?

Patient and clinical records must stay within approved systems — never public AI tools. Information governance (and NHS DSPT for NHS practices) applies.

Can AI help with clinical records?

Only through approved, assured systems — not general-purpose public AI. Clinical decisions always stay with clinicians.

Will AI replace dental staff?

No — it removes administrative load so your team can focus on patients.

Put AI to work — safely

Start with a fixed-fee AI Readiness Audit and get a clear, honest plan — and the licences you actually need.

See AI Adoption as a Service Call 0161 738 1399