Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for dental clinics.
A checklist built from how dental clinics work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Appointment book by chair and dentist
- Tooth chart and treatment plan
- Crown and bridge lab cases
- Long cases and aligner review dates
- Recall and incomplete treatment list
- Estimates, instalments and consultant share
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For the clinic owner
- For dentists
- At the front desk
- For dental assistants
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Collections by dentist and procedure
- Treatment plans accepted and pending
- Balances due on part-paid plans
- Lab cases out, due and received
- Patients overdue for recall
- Dentist share payable for the month
- Stock to reorder and items near expiry
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- SMS
- Card and wallet payments
- Accounting export
- Barcode or label printer
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Is it dental software or general clinic software?
- Does it have a tooth chart?
- Can it track a root canal or a brace across several visits?
- How is dental lab work handled?
- Can patients pay in instalments?
- Does it work out what an associate dentist is owed?
- Can patient records be moved from our current software?
- Who owns the patient data?
- What does it cost?
- Do we need this for a one-chair clinic?
- How soon could the chairs run from the new appointment book?
- What should the clinic keep ready for the build?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Treatment plans are left incomplete
- Lab work is delayed without notice
- Recall visits are forgotten
- Consultant payouts are disputed
Prefer to talk it through? See the dental clinics page.