INTEGRATION · PLANNED
PostKnock + Open Dental
Open Dental's open API is the dream for native sync. PostKnock would be the postcard + call-followup layer Open Dental's email recall has never had.
What Open Dental is
Open Dental is the open-source dental practice-management system used by thousands of independent practices that want to escape vendor lock-in. It exposes a documented MySQL schema and an HL7-style API: unusual transparency for healthcare software.
Why postcards on top of Open Dental
Open Dental's recall workflow is tied to the appointment book and email. Email-only recall is leaving 80%+ of lapsed patients unreached. PostKnock adds the physical channel and the timed call queue Open Dental doesn't ship.
How a PostKnock + Open Dental integration would work
Contact sync
Two paths. (1) Direct MySQL read of the patient and recall tables, scoped to inactive patients past your threshold. The cleanest, fastest sync because Open Dental's schema is public. (2) Open Dental Service API for hosted environments. Both nightly. Active recall, scheduled, and recently-seen patients are filtered out before enrollment.
Trigger types
- →Lapsed patient (configurable months): Auto-enroll into recall playbook
- →Recall type “6-month prophy” overdue: Targeted hygiene-overdue postcard
- →Treatment plan accepted but unscheduled: Treatment-reminder postcard with a 30-day follow-up call
- →Birthday month: Soft-offer birthday card
Data fields mapped
| Open Dental field | PostKnock field |
|---|---|
| PatNum | External ID |
| FName / LName | First / Last |
| Address / City / State / Zip | Mailing address |
| DateLastVisit | last_visit_date |
| RecallType | Segment tag |
| PriProv | provider (for personalization) |
| Birthdate | birthday |
Status
Planned. Build prioritization is driven by customer demand. The more votes a connector gets, the sooner we ship it.
Vote. Tell us your use caseFAQ
Can I export from Open Dental manually today?▼
Yes. Open Dental's Reports > Lists module exports inactive patients as CSV. PostKnock auto-maps the columns. This monthly export is the standard manual workflow today.
Will it sync two-way?▼
Phase 1 is one-way (Open Dental → PostKnock). Phase 2 will post a Commlog entry back into Open Dental noting which postcard wave was sent. It'll show up in the patient's communication log so the front desk can see it.
Cost?▼
No integration fee. Standard per-postcard pricing applies.
Is this HIPAA-compliant?▼
PostKnock is built for marketing, not clinical records. Postcard copy contains no PHI by default. You upload basic contact data (name, address, phone, email) only. Marketing communications from your practice to your own patients fall within HIPAA's permitted exceptions and don't require a BAA. See our healthcare compliance approach.
Will this work for cloud-hosted Open Dental?▼
Yes. Cloud installs use the Open Dental Service API path. Self-hosted installs can use either MySQL read or the API.
Use PostKnock today, native sync later
Export your contact list from Open Dental as CSV, upload to PostKnock, and ship a postcard wave this week. When the native integration goes live, your account is already set up.
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