Santa Barbara Endodontics Data Breach: SSNs and Health Records Exposed

Santa Barbara Endodontics, a dental specialty practice in Santa Barbara, California, experienced a ransomware attack that may have exposed sensitive patient records.

The practice filed a disclosure California Attorney General on Nov. 6, 2026, and posted a notice on its website. Written notifications were sent to affected patients beginning on Nov. 7, 2026.

The breach involved a ransomware attack on Santa Barbara Endodontics' computer systems that is believed to have occurred on or around Oct. 7, 2026. However, the company's notification letter stated that the exact date or dates of the intrusion are not yet known.

The incident came to light when the practice received a ransom note from an unknown group implying it wanted money in exchange for restoring patient files.

Upon further review, the practice discovered that patient record files on its systems had been encrypted with malicious ransomware. The practice believes the unknown threat actor accessed its patient records and may have moved copies of those records from its systems.

On Oct. 16, 2026, a ransomware group called The Gentlemen posted on the dark web, claiming it had obtained data from Santa Barbara Endodontics and intended to publish the stolen information within eight to nine days.

The types of information that may have been exposed encompassed both personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI) including names, Social Security numbers (if provided to the practice), medical and dental history, information about mental or physical conditions, endodontic treatment or diagnosis information, insurance carrier names, insurance policy numbers, subscriber identification numbers, unique identifiers used by insurers and information relating to claims for payments.

Santa Barbara Endodontics' response to the breach

The practice is offering affected patients 12 months of complimentary identity theft monitoring, prevention and mitigation services. Individuals who wish to take advantage of this offer can contact the practice by email at frontdesk@sbendo.com for enrollment instructions.

Patients with questions or seeking additional information can also reach the practice by phone at 1-800-821-4334 or by mail at 9 East Pedregosa St., Suite B, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.