Electronic Health Records in Dentistry: Relevance, Challenges and Policy Directions

Abstract

Electronic health records (EHRs) have helped to transform modern healthcare by enabling structured, interoperable, and patient-centred information systems that connect providers, support research, and empower patients. Dentistry, however, has been slower to achieve full integration into national and international EHR frameworks, risking isolation from the broader health data ecosystem. This narrative review examines the global context of EHR development, the opportunities and risks for dentistry, and the policy directions that can guide successful integration. Drawing on international experience, national case studies, and the insights of both the FDI World Dental Federation's Consensus Statement on Integrated EHRs and FDI's Policy Statement on EHRs, the review highlights both the benefits and challenges of linking dental and medical records. Core oral and general health indicators that should be included in integrated systems are discussed, and relevant standards and interoperability frameworks presented. The paper concludes in a presentation of the FDI Policy Statement on EHRs, outlining practical recommendations, as well as a call to action to ensure that oral health is fully embedded within the digital health transformation. Comprehensive, secure, interoperable, patient-centred EHRs that integrate oral and systemic data on equal footing with medicine, built on common standards, auditable privacy and access controls, equitable patient and provider usability, and sustainable, routinely evaluated workflows, are essential to improve quality and safety of care, enable research and public-health monitoring, and support accountable, data-driven dentistry across settings.

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