🚨 Important - This article is only relevant to sites using the new notes experience currently rolling out across sites.
Clinical notes must now be manually reviewed by the clinician. No more 24hr locking mechanism. This ensures that:
The note has been reviewed for accuracy
The content reflects the treatment provided
The final record is confirmed by the responsible clinician
With advanced AI tools now supporting everyday clinical workflows inside Dentally, it’s essential that clinicians actively review and approve notes before they become part of the official patient record.
This manual review workflow provides:
Greater transparency when amendments are added later
A clear confirmation step when reviewing your notes.
Strong clinical governance
Selecting 'Complete' asks you to confirm that you have reviewed the note and that you're ready to save it as part of the final clinical record.
📝 Please note - Only Level 2 practitioners and above can complete and amend notes. Completing a note should only be done once you are happy all the information is accurate and meets your clinical standards. You can use the task list to keep track of any clinical notes left in draft.
How to lock a note
Once you are happy with your clinical note:
Review the content carefully
Select 'Complete' at the top of the clinical note sidebar
Confirm the action.
When reviewed:
The note is now saved and locked.
It becomes part of the official patient record
It is time and date-stamped
It is attributed to the signed-in clinician
Amends can be added at any time using 'Add amendment'
What happens if I don’t complete the note?
If you finish treatment but do not complete the note:
The note remains in draft
It will be clearly labeled as such in the patients chart and history.
It does not automatically lock
It is not considered finalised
You can return to the note later from your clinical notes sidebar and lock it.
You can access the draft note:
From the patient’s record using the 'View note' button or opening the sidebar
From the your task list inside Dentally, filter to view 'uncompleted notes'
How editing works after locking a note
Once a note has been completed, the original content cannot be edited directly. However you can add an amendment to the note.
Amendments are:
Updated on the original note
Time and date-stamped in the notes audit history
Clearly recorded as updates
Marked as created by the dentist logged in
This makes corrections cleaner, more transparent, and easier to manage, whilst removing the 24 hour locking system.