What are data tags?
Data tags (also known as merge fields) can be used to automatically insert information into your patient communications — such as the patient's name, appointment time, or practice details. They help personalise correspondence quickly and consistently.
A data tag uses square brackets, like this: [date_today].
When you include a data tag in a correspondence template and use it, Dentally pulls in the relevant information automatically.
You can view and copy data tags while writing or editing a correspondence template, using the 'Show available data tags' button so there’s no need to memorise them!
💡 Top tip: When creating or editing templates via Practice > Settings > Patient Communications, you’ll see merge fields (tags) beginning with [appointment_...]. These can be used in automations triggered by appointments — such as appointment reminders or confirmations.
Using appointment data tags
When an appointment-specific data tag (like [appointment_time]) doesn't display correctly in your correspondence, it's usually because Dentally can’t determine which appointment the message refers to.
This happens when the data tag is used in a part of Dentally that isn’t directly connected to a specific appointment.
Here’s how it works:
✅ When the data tag displays correctly:
When used by right-clicking an appointment and sending a message — Dentally knows exactly which appointment you’re referencing.
When used in an automated appt reminder message — Dentally links the message to the appointment that triggered it.
❌ When the data tag doesn’t display correctly:
When sending a message manually via the 'Correspondence' tab — Dentally can’t see which appointment you're referring to, so the tag will not populate.
✔️ Alternative tag to use instead:
When sending messages from the Correspondence tab, use the [patient_next_appointment] data tag instead. This tag always works because Dentally can reliably see the patient's next appointment.
📝 Please note: For practices using Online Booking with Dentally Portal, you can add an online booking data tag to your templates, to allow patients to book their recall appointments online
Use the [patient_recall_booking_link] tag as needed.
This can be used to replace generic Portal login links which will cut down significantly on the actions required by the patient to book their upcoming appt.
What data tags are available in Dentally?
Below are the data tags that we currently support. If you think you would benefit from something that’s not currently on the list, raise a feature request with our team via support chat.
General Tags
[date_today]- Today's date
Patient Specific Tags
[patient_id]- The patient's ID in Dentally
[patient_title]- The patient's title
[patient_first_name]- The patient's first name
[patient_preferred_name]- The patient's preferred name or (if absent) patient's first name
[patient_last_name]- The patient's last name
[patient_biological_sex]- The patient's biological sex
[patient_address]- The patient's address on a single line
[patient_address_long]- The patient's address on multiple lines
[patient_address_line_1]- The first line of the patient's address
[patient_address_line_2]- The second line of the patient's address
[patient_address_line_3]- The third address line of patient's address
[patient_address_town]- The town line of the patient's address
[patient_address_county]- The county line of the patient's address
[patient_address_postcode]- The postcode line of the patient's address
[patient_phone_number]- The patient's preferred phone number
[patient_home_phone_number]- The patient's home phone number
[patient_mobile_phone_number]- The patient's mobile phone number
[patient_email]- The patient's email address
[patient_date_of_birth]- The patient's date of birth
[patient_occupation]- The patient's occupation
[patient_nhs_number]- The patient's NHS number
[patient_ni_number]- The patient's NI number
[patient_insurance_number]- The patient's insurance number
[patient_dentist]- The name of the patient's default dentist
[patient_hygienist]- The patient's hygienist
[patient_dentist_gdc_number]- The GDC number of the patient's default dentist
[patient_dentist_nhs_number]- The NHS number of the patient's default dentist
[patient_doctor]- The patient's doctor's name and address
[patient_first_appointment]- The date and time of the patient's first appointment
[patient_first_exam]- The date and time of the patient's first exam appointment
[patient_next_appointment]- The date and time of the patient's next appointment
[patient_next_exam]- The date and time of the patient's next exam appointment
[patient_next_scale_and_polish]- The date and time of the patient's next scale & polish appointment
[patient_last_appointment]- The date and time of the patient's last appointment
[patient_last_exam]- The date and time of the patient's last exam appointment
[patient_last_scale_and_polish]- The date and time of the patient's last scale & polish appointment
[patient_last_fta_appointment]- The date and time of the last appointment that the patient did not attend
[patient_account_balance]- The patient's account balance
[patient_owes_us_balance]- The amount the patient owes (positive balance)
[patient_account_balance_due]- The amount due from the patient (shown as a positive number if in debit, or 0 if the patient is settled or in credit)
[patient_payment_link]- A payment link where the patient can pay their account balance online. Requires the Stripe integration.
[patient_medical_link]- A link where the patient can update their medical history.
[patient_recall_booking_link]- A recall link where the patient can quickly book their routine dental or hygiene appointment online. Requires Dentally Portal with Online Booking.
[patient_dentist_recall_interval]- The patient's dentist recall interval
[patient_hygienist_recall_interval]- The patient's hygienist recall interval
[patient_custom_field_1]- The data stored in the first patient custom field
[patient_custom_field_2]- The data stored in the second patient custom field
Practice Specific Tags
[practice_name]- The name of your practice
[practice_phone]- The phone number of your practice
[practice_address_line_1]- The first line of your practice's address
[practice_address_line_2]- The second line of your practice's address
[practice_address_line_3]- The third address line of your practice
[practice_town]- The town of your practice
[practice_county]- The county line of your practice's address
[practice_postcode]- The postcode of your practice
[practice_email]- The email address of your practice
[practice_website]- The website of your practice
Appointment Specific Tags
[appointment_time]- The date and time of the appointment e.g. Fri 18 Jan at 5:30PM
[appointment_date]- The date of the appointment in numerical format e.g. 18/01/20
[appointment_datetime]- The date and time of the appointment in numerical format e.g. 18/01/20 17:30
[appointment_practitioner_name]- The name of the practitioner, e.g. John Smith
[appointment_practitioner_name_formal]- The formal name of the practitioner, e.g. Dr J. Smith
[appointment_time_all]- The date and time of the appointment and any other appointments for that day. e.g. Fri 18 Jan at 10:00AM and 11:00AM
[appointment_time_all_with_practitioner]- The date and time of the appointment and any other appointments for that day with the names of the practitioner. e.g. Fri 18 Jan at 10:00AM with Jo Smith and 11:00AM with Jack Davies
[appointment_time_all_with_practitioner_formal]- The date and time of the appointment and any other appointments for that day with the formal names of the practitioner. e.g. Fri 18 Jan at 10:00AM with Dr. J. Smith and 11:00AM with Dr. J. Davies
[appointment_check_in_link]- A link where the patient can check themselves in for their appointment. The appointment status changes to 'Arrived' when the patient confirms that they have arrived at the practice
[appointment_duration]- The duration of the appointment
[appointment_reason]- The reason for the appointment
[appointment_location_name]- The practice name of the appointment location
[appointment_location_address]- The practice address of the appointment location
Orthodontics Specific Tags
[ortho_date_appliance_fitted]- The Orthodontic date appliance fitted
[ortho_iotn_ac]- The Orthodontic IOTN AC
[ortho_iotn_dhc]- The Orthodontic IOTN DHC
[ortho_iotn_dhc_full]- The Orthodontic IOTN DHC full
[ortho_relevant_medical_history_text]- The Orthodontic relevant medical history text
[ortho_repairs_details]- The Orthodontic repairs details
[ortho_crossbite_posterior]- crossbite posterior
[ortho_crossbite_anterior]- crossbite anterior
[ortho_incisal_class]- incisal class
[ortho_molar_relationship_left]- molar relationship left
[ortho_molar_relationship_right]- molar relationship right
[ortho_skeletal_class_details]- skeletal class details