Dental imaging software for storing and viewing images

Dental image software stores, organises and displays a patient's dental images, such as X-rays and photographs, against their record. Some products also capture images from sensors and machines. Others, like DentiPoint, handle storage and viewing and leave capture to the imaging equipment you already use.

Being clear about that difference saves time when you shortlist. If you need a system that drives your sensors and reads DICOM files, check for it. If you need a safe, tidy place where every image sits with the right patient and tooth, that is what this page describes.

DentiPoint does not capture images and does not read DICOM files. It has no link to X-ray sensors or imaging machines, and it is not a DICOM viewer. You take images with your existing equipment and software, then upload them to the record.

That makes it a good fit if you want images stored with the patient and tied to teeth, and a poor fit if you want one product to run the sensors. Many practices keep their capture software and use DentiPoint as the home for the record.

Organise images by patient, tooth and date, and record why each was taken. A tidy system makes a second opinion, a referral or an inspection quick, and it protects the practice if a treatment decision is questioned later.

• Name or tag by type (bitewing, periapical, OPG, photograph).
• Link to the tooth wherever the image is about one tooth.
• Record the reason and findings in the clinical notes at the time.
• Keep images with the rest of the record so retention and access follow one policy.

Our guide to the types of dental X-rays explains what each image shows and how often it is used, and our guide to dental record keeping covers retention. For the whole system, see dental practice management software.