Patient Information and Charting

As a dental assistant, it’s important to know how to chart properly, which includes taking detailed notes during and/or right after every patient appointment. These notes should include the reason for the visit, what treatment was completed, why the treatment was completed and the outcome of the treatment. Comprehensive charts, which also should include intraoral and extraoral images when applicable, provide dental teams with easy access to patient histories. This not only helps ensure the practice can offer the best care possible, it also covers the dentist from a legal standpoint if any issues ever arise.