You ask - we answer. It’s simple really. Everything you’ve wanted to know about Dentrix Ascend (and more).

We aim to be transparent about everything we do so you can make the best decision for your practice.

Security

Being a cloud-based platform, are the data centres based in Australia?

Yes - all Dentrix Ascend hosting is done out of Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Sydney, Australia.  

Are backups done in Australia or New Zealand?

All backups are taken and stored in Australia.  

Are systems and backups encrypted? Is so, how?

Yes system data is encrypted in transit and at rest. As a matter of security, we don't share our encryption algorithm methods. Rest assured they are considered best practice.

Patient Information

What is the Chart # field for?

This is a utility field that can be used in a number of ways. For example for practices moving from paper to Dentrix Ascend, this field can be a reference to old patient card / chart files as a unique patient identifier. Other practices may have a stand-alone 3D OPG, and use Dentrix Ascend to generate a unique number they can use in that system too. Most practices however probably use Dentrix Ascend without ever using this field.

Do you capture marketing consent?

Yes - we store marketing consent on the Patient Information with three values; not specified (default), yes & no. This allows practices to capture it in a way that suits them (paper, asking the patient, etc). We also have a marketing consent report to make it easier to interpret the results and create 3rd party marketing campaigns. For enterprise users, there is also an API to get and set this value from 3rd party systems.

What is ‘Preferred Appt Day/Time’ for?

This is for reception teams information when contacting or making appointments for Patients. It allows Reception teams to verify with the patient that they would prefer to have a time like that and to book appropraitely. The setting doesn’t automatically create appointments at that time however.

Do you have a COVID-19 form?

No. We have received feedback about the desire to fully customise Patient Forms. We are looking to bring that functionality to Dentrix Ascend in 2021. Along with this, a COVID-19 form (or any other screening type form) could be created by practices to suit their needs.

What is the Patient Clinical report used for?

This is typically used when transferring a patient to another provider. It’s a comprehensive report pulling data sources from various places, so can take up to 30 seconds to generate.

Charting

Why does the Schedule view look ‘full screen’ and the Chart has borders?

The schedule has a scroll bar, so can fit on any screen and be scrolled horizontally. The chart is designed to work on desktop computers and iPads, and thus has a fixed size.

Is the X-ray/imaging software compatible with Morita, Air Techniques and Planmeca x-ray systems?

We support certain hardware via native integration, else most TWAIN drivers are supported. Our full compatibility list here. We can also setup a field test to check compatibility with your current setup and Dentrix Ascend.

Can you create custom item codes (for retail items)?

Yes you can create custom item codes in Dentrix Ascend.

Can you create custom item groups (like with Oasis)?

Yes - in Dentrix Ascend these are called multi-code procedures.