Connect Open Dental

Prerequisites

• Open Dental must be running in your practice with eConnector enabled.
• The FHIR/API checkbox must be enabled in Open Dental (Setup → Advanced Setup → FHIR).
• A developer account on the Open Dental developer portal.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Request a Developer API Key from Open Dental.Email vendor.relations@opendental.com requesting a developer API key. Include your company name, contact details, and a brief description of what you are building. Approval typically takes 1–3 business days.
2. Log in to the Open Dental Developer Portal.Once approved, go to https://api.opendental.com/portal/gwt/fhirportal.html and sign in with your developer account credentials.
3. Generate your Developer API Key.In the developer portal, create a Developer API Key. Copy it and store it securely — this is what identifies your integration to Open Dental.
4. Obtain the Customer API Key from your practice.In the Open Dental program at your practice (Setup → Advanced Setup → FHIR), enter your Developer API Key into the practice's system. The practice will then generate a Customer API Key tied to your developer key. Provide this Customer Key to the business owner.

Tips

• The Authorization header format is ODFHIR {DeveloperKey}/{CustomerKey} — both keys are required.
• Appointment duration is determined from the Pattern field — each character represents a 10-minute slot (e.g. //////////// = 120 minutes).
• Open Dental does not charge per-call fees — the API is free for approved developers.
• Make sure the eConnector service is running on the practice machine — the API cannot reach the database without it.