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The laboratory module at a dental clinic covers two distinct functions: tracking dental laboratory work sent to external labs for fabrication (crowns, bridges, dentures, retainers), and ordering blood tests for patients scheduled for oral surgery under sedation or general anaesthesia.

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Part 1: Dental Laboratory Work

Dental laboratory work is physical work sent to an external dental laboratory for fabrication and returned to the clinic for fitting. The system allows you to track each item of lab work from the impression date through to the fit appointment.

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What Gets Sent to the Dental Lab

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Tracking Dental Lab Work in the System

The system does not have a dedicated dental lab work module out of the box, but you can track lab work effectively using the Clinical Procedure record and the Notes / Attachment features: Recommended method:
  1. When taking the impression for a crown or bridge, create or open the Clinical Procedure record for the procedure (e.g., “Crown Preparation - Tooth 26”)
  2. In the Notes field, record:
    • Date impression taken
    • Laboratory name and contact
    • Shade recorded (e.g., A2 using Vita Classical)
    • Material specified (Zirconia, EMAX, Metal-ceramic)
    • Special instructions (e.g., “match adjacent crown”, “staining required”, “long contact point required”)
    • Expected laboratory return date
    • Lab job reference number (assigned by the lab)
  3. Attach the lab prescription (delivery docket / work instruction form) as a file attachment to the Clinical Procedure record
  4. When the lab work is returned:
    • Update the Clinical Procedure notes with the received date
    • Check the quality before booking the fit appointment
    • Book the fit appointment (Crown Fit, Bridge Fit, Denture Delivery, etc.)
  5. Create a new Clinical Procedure record for the fit appointment (e.g., “Crown Fit - Tooth 26”) and complete it when the crown is cemented
Using the appointment notes: Add the expected lab return date to the patient’s appointment notes so the front desk knows when to schedule the follow-up.
Clinical Procedure record for Crown Preparation showing the Notes field with lab details: laboratory name, shade, expected return date, and lab job number

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Lab Quality Check Before Fitting

Before cementing a crown or fitting a denture, always check: Record the quality check outcome in the Clinical Procedure notes for the fit appointment.

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Part 2: Pre-Surgical Blood Tests

Before dental procedures under intravenous sedation or general anaesthesia, blood tests are required to assess the patient’s fitness for sedation. Some patients also require blood tests before tooth extraction if they have medical conditions that increase procedural risk.

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When Blood Tests Are Required

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Ordering a Lab Test

  1. Go to Healthcare workspace → Laboratory card → Lab Test → New
Or order from within the Patient Encounter using the Service Request section.
Lab Test order form showing patient name, lab test template selection (e.g., Full Blood Count, Fasting Glucose, INR), practitioner, and date

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Lab Test Templates for Dental Pre-Surgical Screening

Set up the following Lab Test Templates:
  1. Go to Healthcare workspace → Laboratory Setup card → Lab Test Template → New

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Reviewing and Approving Lab Results

  1. After the test is completed by the external laboratory, the results are entered into the Lab Test record
  2. A user with the LabTest Approver role reviews the results
  3. If results are within acceptable range for the planned procedure, the result is approved
  4. Approved results trigger an SMS notification to the patient
  5. Results must be approved before the surgical appointment proceeds
Surgical Go / No-Go Thresholds for Dental Surgery:

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Field Guide: Lab Test

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Best Practices

  • Order blood tests at least 1 week before the scheduled surgery date - this gives time to receive results, review them, and reschedule if needed
  • For Warfarin patients, the INR result should ideally be from within 24-72 hours of the planned procedure - an INR taken 2 weeks earlier may not reflect the current level
  • Record the lab job reference number for every dental lab item in the Clinical Procedure notes - this is essential for querying the laboratory if items are delayed or need to be remade
  • Never proceed with a sedation procedure without an approved blood result on file - record the approval in the patient’s notes
  • For implant patients, check HbA1c before implant placement: poorly controlled diabetes significantly increases implant failure rates and infection risk after bone surgery

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Troubleshooting

Blood test results are not appearing in the patient’s timeline Check that the Lab Test record has been submitted. Draft lab tests are not included in the patient history timeline. Lab test results have not been approved but surgery is tomorrow Contact the LabTest Approver urgently. Do not proceed with sedation without approved results. If the approver is unavailable, escalate to the clinical lead. The lab has returned a crown but it does not fit correctly Document the issue in the Clinical Procedure notes (why it does not fit: margin open, occlusion high, shade wrong) and return the crown to the laboratory with a new work instruction. Book the patient for a new fit appointment when the crown is remade.