What is an AI dental scribe?
What an AI dental scribe does, how it differs from dictation and general medical scribes, and what to expect in your first week.
Applies to: Web and mobile app
Chairscribe drafts; the clinician reviews and signs. Every entry in the patient record remains yours.
An AI dental scribe listens to a dental appointment and turns the conversation into a structured clinical note. Instead of typing after each patient, you record the visit, review the drafted note, and sign it off. The dentist stays responsible for the record; the scribe removes the typing.
How does an AI dental scribe work?
You start a recording when the appointment starts. While you work, the scribe transcribes what is said. When the appointment ends, it drafts a clinical note from the transcript, organised into the sections your record needs. You read the draft, fix anything that needs fixing, and sign it off as your own.
- Record the appointment while you treat the patient.
- The scribe transcribes the conversation in real time.
- A structured note drafts itself from the transcript, in your template.
- You review the draft, resolve anything flagged, and sign it off.
- Paste the finished note into your practice software.
How is it different from dictation?
Dictation software types what you say to it. You still compose the note yourself, sentence by sentence, usually after the patient has left and from memory. An AI dental scribe works from the appointment itself, so the note reflects what was actually said in the surgery, not what you remembered at 6pm. Our guide on dictation software versus an AI scribe covers this in depth.
How is it different from a general medical scribe?
General AI scribes were built for medical consults. They can transcribe speech, but dentistry has its own language: tooth numbers, surfaces, materials, shades, anaesthetics, and note structures like SOAP and perio charts that a GP consult never produces. A dental-specific scribe like Chairscribe is built around that language, and around templates that match how dental notes are actually written. If you are comparing options, see how to choose an AI scribe for dentistry.
What does an AI dental scribe cost?
Prices in the market range from about A$50 to several hundred dollars a month per practitioner. Chairscribe is A$129 a month flat, or A$1,290 a year with two months free, with a 14-day free trial and no card needed.
Is it safe to use with patient conversations?
It can be, if the scribe is built for it. The questions that matter: is the audio stored, where does the data live, is it used to train AI models, and who processes it. Chairscribe deletes audio immediately after processing, encrypts notes with AES-256, keeps data in Australia, and never allows training on your data. You will also need patient consent to record, which is simpler than it sounds; see AI scribes and patient consent in Australia.
What to expect in your first week
- Day one: record a simple appointment, an exam or a hygiene visit, and see the draft. Expect to tweak the wording.
- Days two to three: teach it your style. Set your note preferences, tooth notation, and the materials you use.
- By the end of the week: notes for routine appointments should need only a quick review before sign-off.
Ready to try it? Start scribing or read how to write dental clinical notes faster first.