Why EHR Adoption Still Matters in Dental Practices
Walk into almost any dental clinic today and you’ll see computers at every desk. Digital imaging, practice management software, online scheduling. But when it comes to full electronic health records (EHRs), adoption in dentistry is still uneven. Some practices run on advanced systems tied into hospital networks. Others keep data in siloed apps, or worse, on paper. The divide is real — and it matters.
A Giant Leap: The PDS Example
Pacific Dental Services (PDS) decided to close that gap. In just over two years, they moved nearly 10 million patient files into Epic. Fourteen thousand clinicians and staff went through training, logging more than 16,000 hours in the classroom. It was disruptive, expensive, and exhausting. But the outcome was hard to ignore.
Now, when a PDS patient visits a dentist, their medical history is there too. One record. One system. Doctors can see gum health alongside diabetes markers. Duplicated charts vanish. Care feels connected instead of split between different silos.
Why Many Clinics Hold Back
Not every practice can pull off a rollout like that. Smaller clinics face different realities:
– Budgets can’t stretch to enterprise licenses.
– Staff can’t leave the chairside for weeks of EHR training.
– Old systems don’t integrate, forcing admins to patch things together.
– Data exchange between vendors is still shaky, even in 2025.
For these practices, the risk of disruption feels bigger than the promise of integration. So they wait — but the pressure keeps building.
What’s at Stake
EHRs in dentistry aren’t just about neat charts. They change how care is delivered:
– Dentists see more of the patient’s health picture, not just their teeth.
– Patients book online, check records, and pay bills without waiting in line.
– Claims get processed faster, with fewer errors bouncing back from insurers.
– Administrators get real analytics instead of spreadsheets stitched together at night.
The impact stretches from front desk to chairside, and even into research on oral-systemic health links.
The Direction of Travel
By 2025, vendors like Epic are setting the tone. Their systems are spreading into dental care because patients, insurers, and regulators expect integration. The shift is messy, and not everyone is ready. But the trend is clear: dentistry can’t remain isolated while the rest of healthcare moves to shared data platforms.
For administrators, the question is no longer “if.” It’s “when” and “how disruptive it will be.” Those who move early gain smoother workflows and tighter connections to the wider healthcare system. Those who wait risk being left outside a network where oral health is finally seen as part of whole-body health.
