This page explains how we choose tools, where our information comes from and the rules every article follows. Dental software affects patient care and practice finances, so we hold our articles to a strict standard: if we can’t point to a source, it doesn’t go in.
Which tools we cover
We cover products that are sold to US dental practices today, have a public website and have at least some independent information about them: an FDA listing, a published study or user reviews on a public review site. We don’t cover products that only exist as announcements.
Where our information comes from
- The vendor: product pages, pricing pages, documentation and press releases. We attribute these to the vendor (“the vendor says”).
- The FDA: the 510(k), De Novo and PMA databases for anything presented as a medical device.
- Published research: peer-reviewed studies, mostly found through PubMed.
- Users: reviews on public review sites. We read them, count how many say the same thing, and use words like “a few” or “most” that match the count.
Every article ends with a list of its sources and the date each one was checked.
Rules every article follows
FDA status comes from the FDA
We only write that a product is “FDA cleared”, “granted” or “approved” when we have found its entry in the FDA database, and we give the number and decision date. “Cleared” and “approved” mean different things, so we use the word the FDA uses. If a vendor says its product is cleared and we can’t find the listing, we say exactly that.
Accuracy figures come from named studies
When an article gives a number for how accurate a tool is, it names the study, its size and its setting. Figures from a vendor’s marketing are attributed to the vendor and never presented as fact. We also note when a study was funded by the vendor.
HIPAA and security are vendor claims
We report what a vendor says about HIPAA, business associate agreements and security, and we attribute it. We only state a certification, such as SOC 2, when we have seen evidence of it and can link to it.
Prices carry a date
Pricing changes often. Every price in an article comes with the date we checked it. When a vendor doesn’t publish prices, we say pricing is on request.
No first-hand claims
We don’t use the tools we write about, and we never write “we tested” or anything that suggests we did.
No clinical advice
We describe what a tool does and what sources say about it. We don’t tell dentists how to diagnose or treat, and we never suggest a tool replaces clinical judgment.
How articles are produced
We use AI tools to collect sources and draft articles. Every draft then goes through automated checks against its source data and a separate fact-check of each claim. A person reads every article before it is published.
Money and independence
We don’t use affiliate links. If we ever add affiliate links or sponsored content, we will label it clearly on the page where it appears.
Corrections and updates
When we find an error, or someone points one out, we fix it and update the date at the top of the article. Reviews are refreshed when a product changes in a way that matters, such as a new FDA clearance or a price change.
Vendors and readers can send corrections through our contact page. Please include a link to the source.