Using a Dental Notes App Alongside Dentally (UK)

Why pair a notes app with Dentally

Dentally is a cloud-based PMS — appointment book, billing, UDA management, patient records, recall scheduling — and it now offers its own note tools, including AI notes. A separate structured notes app is an option if you want UK-specific prompts (the GDC/FGDP compliance layer) and the same note structure whichever PMS you work in. Check Dentally's current note features first.

The combined workflow: Dentally holds patient demographics, appointment, billing, UDA. A notes app produces the structured clinical note. Result: a structured note you paste into Dentally, instead of typing prose from scratch.

Copy-paste integration (the universal workflow)

The dominant pattern: complete the structured note in your notes app, click "Copy to clipboard", switch to Dentally, paste into the patient notes field, save.

1. In your notes app, select template (e.g. "composite filling")
2. Tap through fields to populate (or, in apps that offer it, dictate)
3. Click "Copy" — full structured note copies to clipboard
4. Switch to Dentally — patient already open from appointment book
5. Click in Dentally notes field, paste (⌘V / Ctrl+V)
6. Save note in Dentally

Direct integration via Dentally API

Dentally has a Developer Hub and a partner marketplace of integrations. Check there whether a notes app you are considering has a real Dentally integration, and ask for a demo in your own account.

• Pros: One-click "Save to Dentally" without copy-paste. Auto-pulls patient ID. Audit trail in Dentally.
• Cons: Dependent on the integration being maintained. Setup may need per-practice approval.
• Reality: For most practices, copy-paste is quick and works without any dependency.

Considerations specific to Dentally users

• Dentally is browser-based — your notes app should run in the same browser (or as a side-by-side window). Native macOS/Windows apps require window-switching which slows the workflow.
• Dentally's clinical chart auto-saves; your notes app should auto-save drafts too to prevent loss on browser refresh.
• Dentally's patient demographics are accurate and current — don't duplicate them in your notes app. Pure structured clinical notes only.
• Dentally supports multi-clinician practices with role permissions — verify your notes app supports the same (per-clinician settings, optional shared templates).
• Check where a notes app stores data and which sub-processors it uses before you sign its DPA.

Common workflow problems

1. Forgetting to paste: the note is in the notes app but never makes it to Dentally. Solution: prompt at end of appointment OR use an app with explicit "I've pasted" confirmation.
2. Pasting into wrong patient in Dentally: easy mistake when appointments run together. Solution: workflow discipline — always verify patient name in Dentally before pasting.
3. Browser tab confusion: multiple Dentally tabs open. Solution: workflow rule — one Dentally tab per session.
4. Template format that doesn't paste cleanly: notes app outputs markdown or rich text that doesn't render in Dentally's plain-text notes field. Solution: choose a notes app with clean plain-text copy output.

Where Nosht fits with Dentally

Nosht has no Dentally integration; you copy and paste. Nosht copies the note as formatted text with a plain-text fallback, so it pastes into notes fields that accept either. Run Nosht in a separate browser tab alongside Dentally; complete the note chairside in Nosht; one-click copy; switch to the Dentally tab; paste; save.

Patient demographics stay in Dentally (where they belong). Your Nosht clinical notes hold no patient identifiers — only clinical descriptors — and no audio is captured. There are two exceptions, both optional: the Referral Letter template, where you choose to enter patient details (name and date of birth, with NHS number, address and contact optional); and Send Leaflet, which processes a patient's email address or mobile number solely to deliver a patient information leaflet. Nosht still holds the note content you save, so sign its DPA and list it (and its sub-processors) in your record of processing.