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Carelinq Dental vs Open Dental
A Windows practice-management system with a 2D imaging module, installed in the office or hosted in Open Dental Cloud. Carelinq Dental is practice management and imaging in one app, on Windows, Mac, iPad and Android tablets.
What changes
The same app on the Mac and the iPad
Open Dental’s client runs on Windows, with companion apps for tablets and phones. Carelinq Dental is the full workstation on Windows, Mac, iPad and Android tablets.
CBCT and scans open in the chart
Open Dental reaches 3D viewers through bridges. Carelinq opens CBCT volumes and intraoral scans in its own Imaging module, filed by exam and tooth.
Ask your practice, in plain words
The Carelinq Assistant answers questions like “production last month by provider” from your own database, with a chart or a PDF when you need one.
Side by side
| Feature | Carelinq Dental | Open DentalOpen Dental Software |
|---|---|---|
| Full app on Windows | Yes | Yes |
| Full app on Mac | Yes | No Vendor: the client cannot run on a Mac |
| Full app on iPad | Yes | Limited Companion apps (ODTouch, ODMobile) |
| Full app on Android tablets | Yes | Limited Companion app (ODMobile) |
| Practice management (schedule, chart, billing) | Yes | Yes |
| Imaging in the same app, no bridge | Yes The Imaging module, by exam, tooth and modality | Yes 2D Imaging module |
| DICOM import and export | Yes Files, multi-frame and DICOMDIR discs | Yes Preview and export |
| CBCT and 3D volume viewing | Yes Axial, sagittal, coronal and 3D | Separate product Through bridges such as Ez3D-i |
| Intraoral scans (STL, PLY, OBJ) | Yes Orbit, zoom and measure | Separate product Through bridges such as 3Shape |
| Assistant that answers questions from your practice data | Yes The Carelinq Assistant | No At least not that we know of. |
| AI conversations encrypted and never used for training | Yes Runs on your hardware or Carelinq-hosted models | No Not that we could find, and we looked. |
| Imaging included, no second license | Yes | Yes 2D imaging is in the monthly fee; 3D viewing needs other software |
Open Dental details from Open Dental Software’s published material, checked October 2026. Where a “No” comes with a note like “not that we could find”, we found no published evidence of the feature. Product names belong to their owners.
Be first to try Carelinq Dental.
When it launches, the conversion tools built into Carelinq Dental bring your patients, history and images over from Open Dental, free.
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