Open Dental Connects to Kno2: What the First Dental to Medical Data Link Means for Family Practices
On July 21, 2026, Open Dental became the first dental practice management software connected nationwide to Kno2, a federally recognized health information network, according to a press release from Kno2, Open Dental, and CareQuest Innovation Partners. The link is meant to let dental offices and medical providers, including pediatricians, securely exchange patient records instead of relying on paper referrals or phone calls. For families, it is an early but real step toward a dentist and a doctor actually seeing the same chart.
What did Open Dental and Kno2 actually announce?
Open Dental, a widely used dental practice management system founded in 2003, is now connected to Kno2's national network, making it the first electronic dental record technology to reach that milestone. Kno2 is designated a Qualified Health Information Network, or QHIN, under the U.S. government's national interoperability framework, and also holds CMS Aligned Network status, meaning it already moves clinical data among hospitals, medical practices, and payers at scale. CareQuest Innovation Partners, the for-profit innovation arm of CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, backed the project with funding and technical support.
- July 21, 2026: Open Dental becomes the first dental PMS connected to Kno2's nationwide health information exchange (Source: PR Newswire announcement by Kno2, Open Dental, and CareQuest Innovation Partners, 2026).
- 27 million: the estimated number of Americans who see a dentist but not a physician in a given year, one reason dental offices are treated as a health access point (Source: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, carequest.org, 2026).
- 20 percent: the share of the U.S. dental market already covered by the two flagship electronic dental record platforms that committed to connect to Kno2 when CareQuest Innovation Partners and Kno2 first launched this initiative on March 26, 2026, with a goal of getting 25 percent of participating platforms' users live on the network within the first year (Source: CareQuest Innovation Partners and Kno2 announcement, reported by Becker's Dental Review and HCInnovation Group, 2026).
Why does this matter for children and families, not just IT departments?
It matters because a child's health information is currently split across two systems that rarely talk to each other. A pediatrician's office holds vaccination records, medication lists, and diagnoses like asthma, diabetes, or a bleeding disorder, any of which can change how a dentist plans treatment or sedation. A dental office, meanwhile, often has the more current record of fluoride treatments, sealants, and cavity risk, especially for kids who get regular checkups through school or community dental-screening events. When those two records cannot be shared electronically, families end up as the go-between, repeating medical history from memory at every new appointment. A working connection between dental and medical systems is meant to close that gap automatically once both sides opt in.
How many practices could this reach, and how soon?
Right now the reach is limited to Open Dental's user base plus any other electronic dental record platform that has joined Kno2's network, and only where the individual practice and a connected medical provider both choose to exchange data. CareQuest Innovation Partners and Kno2 have set a public target of getting 25 percent of participating platforms' provider users live within the first year of the broader initiative, which they launched in March 2026. That is a meaningful test of whether interoperability moves from a pilot to something a family notices at a routine visit, rather than a guarantee that any single practice, including ones in this directory, is connected today.
What did the people behind this say about it?
"Partnering with Kno2 and CareQuest Innovation Partners fits the way we think about the role our software should play in dental care. Having both medical and dental data available in one place will improve care quality and decrease risk to patients." said Nathan Sparks, CEO of Open Dental.
Therasa Bell, President and Founder of Kno2, called Open Dental's connection proof that the work is "no longer theoretical," adding that dental interoperability is "the result of years of work across the industry."
What should families ask their dentist about this?
Parents do not need to do anything today, but it is a fair question to raise at your next visit: ask your family dentist whether their practice management system is connected to a health information network, and whether that connection is active with your child's pediatrician. Practices built around ongoing family care, such as Nelsen Family Dentistry in Chico, California, are the kind of setting where a dentist and a child's other providers already coordinate closely on medical history, so asking how records are shared is a reasonable extension of that conversation. It is one more data point alongside insurance handling, which Smile Listing covered when Archy launched an AI insurance payment tool for family practices, in a year when dental software is quietly changing how family practices operate behind the scenes.
| Before dental to medical interoperability | After a live Kno2 connection |
|---|---|
| Parents recite medication and allergy history from memory at each dental visit | Dentist can pull current medical history electronically, with consent and provider participation |
| Medical providers rarely see when a child last had a cavity check or fluoride treatment | Pediatrician can see dental visit history alongside medical records |
| Referrals between a family dentist and a physician move by fax, phone, or paper | Referrals and clinical notes can move through a secure digital exchange |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this mean my child's dentist can already see their pediatrician's records?
Not automatically. The connection gives Open Dental practices the technical ability to exchange data through Kno2's network, but each dental office and each medical provider still has to opt in and connect before records actually flow between them.
Is Open Dental the only dental software connected to Kno2?
As of the July 21, 2026 announcement, Open Dental is the first electronic dental record system connected to Kno2 nationwide. CareQuest Innovation Partners and Kno2 have said other electronic dental record platforms, together covering about 20 percent of the dental market, are also part of the broader initiative launched in March 2026.
Why does dental-medical record sharing matter for kids specifically?
Children often see a dentist regularly through school and community screening programs but do not always have the same medical provider tracking allergies, medications, or chronic conditions like asthma or diabetes. Shared records let a family dentist flag those factors before treatment and let a pediatrician see when a child was last screened for cavities.
Sources: PR Newswire, "Open Dental Becomes First Electronic Dental Record Technology to Connect to Kno2," July 21, 2026 and Becker's Dental Review coverage of the CareQuest Innovation Partners and Kno2 initiative.
Updated July 2026
