Dentrix Health History Module: Full Walkthrough (Setup + Patient Updates)

If you’ve ever felt like the Dentrix Health History module is either super helpful or kind of confusing depending on the day, this walkthrough is for you.

In this post, I’m breaking down the entire Dentrix Health History module—from system-wide setup to efficiently reviewing and updating a patient’s health history without cluttering the chart.

A Quick Note for Hygienists Who Temp

If you’re a hygienist who temps—or you’ve thought about picking up extra shifts here and there—I want to quickly mention Teero, because it’s what I personally use.

Teero makes it easy to see available temp shifts, read reviews about offices, and check important details ahead of time like appointment length and what software the office uses. I like that it gives you a lot of flexibility, so you can truly build a schedule that works for you, whether that’s occasional extra income or more consistent temping. If you’re interested you can check it out HERE.

Where to Find the Health History in Dentrix

You can access a patient’s Health History from multiple areas in Dentrix:

• Family File

• Patient Chart

• Appointment Book (with the patient selected)

This makes it easy to review or update information no matter where you are working in the software.

Understanding Health History Color Indicators

The Health History icon color gives you a quick visual cue:

• White – No information entered

• Yellow – Information exists, nothing marked critical

• Red – Information exists and at least one item is marked critical

Seeing a red icon is a quick reminder to open the health history and review important details.

Health History Setup (System-Wide)

Before working efficiently with patient health histories, it’s important to understand the system-wide setup.

Accessing Health History Setup

You can access setup by opening any patient’s Health History module and:

1. Clicking Add at the top

2. Selecting Medical Condition, Allergy, or Medication

3. Opening the dropdown list

4. Clicking the gear icon

This setup applies to your entire Dentrix system, not just the individual patient you have open.

Medical Conditions, Allergies & Medications

Inside Health History Setup, you’ll see tabs for:

• General Settings

• Medical Conditions

• Allergies

• Medications

These lists control what options are available for all patients in your system.

Adding New Items to Your Dentrix System

To add a new medical condition, allergy, or medication:

1. Click Add

2. Enter the name

3. Choose options such as:

   • Show on patient questionnaire

   • Mark as critical

   • Display a popup alert

4. Click OK

Repeat this process in each tab as needed.

Updating a Patient’s Health History

When reviewing a patient’s chart, you may need to add or update conditions, allergies, or medications.

Adding Items One at a Time

Using the Add icon, you can enter individual items manually. This works, but it can be time-consuming.

Using Add Multiple (Recommended Workflow)

The Add Multiple option is the fastest and most efficient method:

1. Click Add Multiple

2. Begin typing to search available items

3. Click Add for each relevant condition, allergy, or medication

4. Review selected items on the side panel

5. Click OK to add everything at once

This method keeps your workflow efficient during patient care.

Prescriptions in the Health History Module

Prescriptions written by the office appear at the bottom of the Health History screen.

You can also access prescriptions using the Prescriptions icon at the top to:

• Add new prescriptions

• Refill existing ones

• Review prescription history

Using Health History Notes for Context

Health History Notes are ideal for information that doesn’t fit neatly into a condition or medication.

For example, if a patient is taking Ozempic or Zepbound for weight management rather than diabetes, adding context in Health History Notes helps ensure clarity for the entire team.

Best practice: Always write notes that will make sense to the next person reviewing the chart.

Patient Contacts: Emergency, Physician & Pharmacy

Within the Health History module, you can store:

• Emergency contacts

• Primary care physicians

• Specialists

• Pharmacies

Click the arrow next to each section to add or update information.

Health History Questionnaires

If your office uses Dentrix questionnaires, this section shows:

• Which forms the patient completed

• The date each form was submitted

This makes it easy to track when updates are due and what was previously reported.

Understanding the Top Icons in Health History

Add

Adds a new medical condition, allergy, or medication.

View/Edit

Allows you to:

• Add or edit notes

• Mark items as critical

• Add popup alerts

• Inactivate items

Inactivate

Used when a patient is no longer taking a medication or no longer has a condition. You can also right-click to inactivate.

Show/Hide Inactive

Toggles whether inactive items appear. Hiding inactive items keeps the view clean, especially when reviewing with patients.

Select Patient

Switches to another patient’s chart.

Copy to Clinical Note

Copies the health history into a clinical note.

Print

Prints the full health history, which can be helpful when patients are completing updated forms.

Best Practices: Inactivate vs Delete

Whenever possible, inactivate rather than delete items.

• Inactivating preserves the patient’s historical record

• Deleting should be reserved for entries added by mistake

Maintaining historical accuracy is essential for comprehensive care.

Final Thoughts

The Dentrix Health History module is a critical tool for delivering comprehensive patient care. Once you understand how to set it up, update it efficiently, and document clearly, it becomes a powerful asset rather than a frustration.

If you’re interested in more Dentrix tutorials and dental tech tips, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel—I post new videos every week.