License & Deployment Mix: 14 tools – 2 OSS, 6 SaaS. (OSS and SaaS counts can overlap when an open-source tool also offers a vendor-hosted edition.)
What Is Dental Practice Management Software?
Dental practice management software (dental PM or dental PMS) is the operational backbone of a dental office. It handles patient records, clinical charting, scheduling, billing, insurance claims, and imaging integration – replacing paper charts and manual workflows with a unified digital system.
Unlike a generic EMR or EHR, dental PM software includes domain-specific features that general medical software cannot provide:
- Odontogram / dental charting – interactive tooth-by-tooth diagram showing existing conditions, planned treatment, and completed work using ADA procedure codes
- Perio charting – pocket depth measurements, bleeding points, recession, and furcation tracking across six sites per tooth
- Treatment planning – multi-phase plans with procedure codes, fees, insurance estimates, and patient acceptance tracking
- Insurance claims – electronic claim submission (ADA dental claim form), ERA/EOB processing, pre-authorization, and benefit tracking
- Imaging integration – DICOM and TWAIN support for intraoral cameras, panoramic X-rays, CBCT scans, and digital sensors
- Patient communication – appointment reminders, recalls, automated texts, patient portals, and digital intake forms
- Digital forms – medical history, consent forms, and HIPAA acknowledgments completed on tablets or online before appointments
- CDT code management – current dental terminology code sets updated annually by the ADA
The information on these pages was researched by a combination of human review and large language models. To suggest an addition or correction, please contact us. Prepared by Rhodium Systems Inc., author of the ResorsIT platform — a unified IT operations management platform for IT teams and MSPs that integrates a curated suite of open-source, commercial, and SaaS applications into a single system with shared identity, single sign-on, access control, and a common audit trail. Use this catalogue only as a starting point for your own research, and review any tool carefully against your own requirements before relying on it. Catalogue data version 2026.197.
Comparison
Feature Matrix
| Feature | Open Dental | OpenMolar | Dentrix Ascend | CareStack | Curve Hero |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dental chart | Yes | Basic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Perio chart | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Treatment plan | Yes | Basic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Imaging | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Insurance claims | Yes | No* | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Patient portal | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scheduling | Yes | Basic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Reporting | Yes | Basic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
* = UK NHS claims only; no US insurance
| Feature | tab32 | Oryx | Dentrix | Eaglesoft | SoftDent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dental chart | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Perio chart | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Treatment plan | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Imaging | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Insurance claims | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Patient portal | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Scheduling | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Reporting | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Feature | Denticon | ABELDent | MacPractice | DentiMax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dental chart | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Perio chart | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Treatment plan | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Imaging | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Insurance claims | Yes | Yes** | Yes | Yes |
| Patient portal | Yes | No | No | No |
| Scheduling | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Reporting | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
** = Canadian insurance formats (CDA)
Deployment Comparison
| Tool | Type | Platform | Cloud | On-Prem |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open Dental | Desktop/Cloud | Windows | Yes* | Yes |
| OpenMolar | Desktop | Linux | No | Yes |
| Dentrix Ascend | SaaS | Browser | Yes | No |
| CareStack | SaaS | Browser | Yes | No |
| Curve Hero | SaaS | Browser | Yes | No |
| tab32 | SaaS | Browser | Yes | No |
| Oryx Dental | SaaS | Browser | Yes | No |
| Dentrix | Desktop | Windows | No | Yes |
| Eaglesoft | Desktop | Windows | No | Yes |
| SoftDent | Desktop | Windows | No | Yes |
| Denticon | SaaS | Browser | Yes | No |
| ABELDent | Desktop/Cloud | Windows | Yes | Yes |
| MacPractice DDS | Desktop | macOS | No | Yes |
| DentiMax | Desktop/Cloud | Windows | Yes | Yes |
* = Open Dental Cloud is a hosted Windows environment (RDP-style), not cloud-native
Licensing Comparison
| Tool | License | Type | Cost Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Dental | Proprietary* | Source-avail | ~$179/mo support |
| OpenMolar | GPL-3.0 | Open source | Free |
| Dentrix Ascend | Proprietary | SaaS | ~$500–1,200/mo |
| CareStack | Proprietary | SaaS | Contact vendor |
| Curve Hero | Proprietary | SaaS | Contact vendor |
| tab32 | Proprietary | SaaS | Contact vendor |
| Oryx Dental | Proprietary | SaaS | Contact vendor |
| Dentrix | Proprietary | Desktop | Contact vendor |
| Eaglesoft | Proprietary | Desktop | Contact vendor |
| SoftDent | Proprietary | Desktop | Contact vendor |
| Denticon | Proprietary | SaaS | Contact vendor |
| ABELDent | Proprietary | Desktop/Cloud | Contact vendor |
| MacPractice DDS | Proprietary | Desktop | Contact vendor |
| DentiMax | Proprietary | Desktop/Cloud | Contact vendor |
* = Open Dental changed from GPL to proprietary in version 24.4 (late 2024)
SSO / OIDC Comparison
OIDC is the preferred SSO protocol.
| Tool | OIDC | SAML | AD | Authentik Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open Dental | No | No | Win | Windows auth only |
| OpenMolar | No | No | No | No SSO support |
| Dentrix Ascend | No | Yes | Yes | SAML via Authentik |
| CareStack | No | Yes | Yes | SAML via Authentik |
| Curve Hero | No | Yes | Yes | SAML via Authentik |
| tab32 | No | ? | ? | Contact vendor |
| Oryx Dental | No | ? | ? | Contact vendor |
| Dentrix | No | No | Win | Windows auth only |
| Eaglesoft | No | No | Win | Windows auth only |
| SoftDent | No | No | Win | Windows auth only |
| Denticon | No | Yes | Yes | SAML via Authentik |
| ABELDent | No | No | Win | Windows auth only |
| MacPractice DDS | No | No | No | No SSO support |
| DentiMax | No | No | Win | Windows auth only |
? = not publicly documented; contact vendor
Best SSO support: Dentrix Ascend, CareStack, Curve Hero, and Denticon offer SAML SSO that can integrate with Authentik. No dental PM tool in this evaluation supports OIDC natively.
Desktop tools: all desktop-based tools (Dentrix, Eaglesoft, SoftDent, ABELDent, DentiMax) rely on Windows authentication with no modern SSO protocol support.
Multi-Location / DSO Support
| Tool | Multi-Location | DSO Focus | Centralized Mgmt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Dental | Yes | Moderate | Central Manager |
| OpenMolar | No | No | No |
| Dentrix Ascend | Yes | Strong | Yes |
| CareStack | Yes | Strong | Yes |
| Curve Hero | Yes | Moderate | Yes |
| tab32 | Yes | Moderate | Yes |
| Oryx Dental | Yes | Moderate | Yes |
| Dentrix | No* | No | No |
| Eaglesoft | No | No | No |
| SoftDent | No | No | No |
| Denticon | Yes | Strongest | Yes |
| ABELDent | Limited | No | No |
| MacPractice DDS | No | No | No |
| DentiMax | Limited | No | No |
* = Dentrix Enterprise available separately for multi-location
Best for DSOs: Denticon (Planet DDS) is the market leader for DSO deployments. Dentrix Ascend and CareStack are strong alternatives.
API Comparison
| Tool | REST API | Access | Documentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Dental | Yes | Paid add-on (~$25/mo) | Comprehensive |
| OpenMolar | No | N/A | N/A |
| Dentrix Ascend | Limited | Partner program | Limited |
| CareStack | Yes | Enterprise tier | Limited |
| Curve Hero | Yes | Contact vendor | Limited |
| tab32 | Yes | Open data warehouse | Limited |
| Oryx Dental | ? | Contact vendor | None public |
| Dentrix | Yes | Developer program | COM-based |
| Eaglesoft | Limited | Partner program | Limited |
| SoftDent | No | N/A | None |
| Denticon | Yes | Enterprise tier | Limited |
| ABELDent | No | N/A | None |
| MacPractice DDS | No | N/A | None |
| DentiMax | No | N/A | None |
? = not publicly documented
Best API: Open Dental has the most comprehensive and well-documented REST API, though it requires a paid add-on. tab32’s open data warehouse approach gives practices direct data access.
AI Features
| Tool | AI Imaging | AI Perio | AI Assistant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dentrix Ascend | Detect AI | No | No |
| Dentrix | Detect AI | No | No |
| Denticon | No | AI Voice Perio | No |
| Curve Hero | No | No | Ask CurveAI |
| Oryx Dental | AI imaging | No | No |
| Others | No | No | No |
AI features are an emerging differentiator in dental PM software. Henry Schein One’s Detect AI (powered by VideaHealth) and Planet DDS’s AI Voice Perio are leading examples.
Tools
14 tools.
ABELDent
ABELDent is a comprehensive dental practice management system primarily serving the Canadian dental market. It offers both desktop (on-premise) and cloud deployment options.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
CareStack
CareStack is a cloud-native, all-in-one dental practice management platform designed for single practices, multi-location groups, and DSOs.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: OIDC, SAML
Curve Hero
Curve Hero (formerly Curve Dental) is a cloud-native dental practice management platform that has been cloud-only since its inception – it was never a hosted desktop application.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: OIDC, SAML
Denticon
Denticon by Planet DDS is the leading cloud-based dental practice management platform purpose-built for multi-location dental groups and DSOs (dental service organizations).
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: OIDC, SAML
DentiMax
DentiMax is a fully integrated dental practice management solution that has served dental practices for over 12 years.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
Dentrix
Dentrix is the market-leading desktop dental practice management system in the United States, trusted by over 45,000 practices. It is the flagship product of Henry Schein One and has been the industry standard for decades.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas, native · SSO: none
Dentrix Ascend
Dentrix Ascend is the cloud-based dental practice management platform from Henry Schein One, the same company behind the market-leading desktop Dentrix. It is a ground-up cloud rewrite, not a hosted version of desktop Dentrix.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: SAML
Eaglesoft
Eaglesoft is a long-established dental practice management system from Patterson Dental, serving nearly 30,000 users over three decades. It is a Windows-based desktop application focused on single-location and small group practices.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas, native · SSO: none
MacPractice DDS
MacPractice DDS is a macOS-native dental practice management system designed exclusively for Apple hardware. It is the only major dental PM that runs natively on macOS, serving practices that prefer Apple’s ecosystem.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas, native · SSO: none
Open Dental
Open Dental is a widely used US dental practice management system covering scheduling, charting, treatment planning, insurance claims, and imaging, running on Windows with a MySQL backend.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas, native · SSO: none
OpenMolar
OpenMolar is an open-source dental practice management system created by a UK dentist. It is designed for small to medium dental clinics, particularly in community health and academic settings where budgets are limited.
License: GPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none
Oryx Dental
Oryx Dental is a cloud-based dental practice management platform developed by dentists, trusted by over 2,000 dentists worldwide.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: OIDC, SAML
SoftDent
SoftDent is a dental practice management system from Carestream Dental, one of several PM products in their portfolio (alongside PracticeWorks, Sensei Cloud, OrthoTrac, and WinOMS).
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas, native · SSO: none
tab32
tab32 is a cloud-native, all-in-one dental practice management platform that positions itself as the only fully browser-based dental software.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: OIDC, SAML
