Open Dental Becomes First Electronic Dental Record Technology to Connect to Kno2, Advancing Dental Interoperability Nationwide
Connecting a large Dental Practice Management System (PMS) marks the first practical milestone in bringing dental data into the nation's health information exchange infrastructure at scale
BOISE, Idaho, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Kno2®, the company leading the future of healthcare communication and a federally designated Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) and CMS Aligned Network, today announced that Open Dental will become Kno2 Connected™, making it the first dental practice management system (PMS) to connect thousands of dental providers to the broader medical care continuum through Kno2's nationwide network. The milestone is announced jointly with CareQuest Innovation Partners, whose funding, deep dental experience and insights, and collaboration with Kno2 are accelerating dental interoperability across the industry.
The announcement builds on Kno2 and CareQuest Innovation Partners' partnership announced earlier this year to better integrate dental care into connected healthcare. Open Dental's joining Kno2's network is the first tangible result of that initiative, proof that dental interoperability is moving from announcement to action.
Dental Information Exchange Is Ready for Scale
Dental interoperability is not a new idea. For years, the industry has worked toward a more connected model of care, where information can move more easily between dental and medical settings.
Given the close connection between oral health and conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, or the need to review a patient's medical history before oral surgery to manage anesthesia or bleeding risk, access to a patient's medical history helps dentists identify health risks, tailor treatment plans, and coordinate care with medical providers. This is especially important, given that an estimated 27 million Americans see a dentist but not a physician each year, making the dental office a critical touchpoint for identifying broader health concerns.
With Open Dental connecting to Kno2's national network, dentists using Open Dental have a direct path to secure, bidirectional exchange with other dental and medical providers, patients, and payers. This includes information sharing, communication, and referrals – integrated within workflows.
"This is exactly the kind of progress we hoped to see when we launched this initiative," said Therasa Bell, President & Founder, Kno2. "Dental interoperability is the result of years of work across the industry, and Open Dental being first to connect shows that this work is no longer theoretical; it's happening. We're proud to keep building the infrastructure that makes connected care possible for dental providers and the patients they serve."
Open Dental Leads the Way for Dental Interoperability
Open Dental has long been recognized for its leadership in the dental space and its commitment to helping practices operate efficiently with flexible, customizable software. As the first dental PMS connecting to Kno2, Open Dental is setting the pace for how dental practices participate in the broader healthcare data exchange environment.
As interoperability requirements continue to mature and healthcare organizations work to reduce fragmentation, connecting dental into the broader system to enable patient lookups, referrals, and communication is becoming a meaningful competitive advantage, and Open Dental practices now have that advantage first.
"Partnering with Kno2 and CareQuest Innovation Partners fits the way we think about the role our software should play in dental care," said Nathan Sparks, CEO of Open Dental. "Having both medical and dental data available in one place will improve care quality and decrease risk to patients. It also may improve practice operations for some practices and help practices stay ahead as healthcare becomes more connected."
Why Does Dental Interoperability Matter Now?
What changes for dental practices when data can move more easily across care settings?
Dental teams can spend less time relying on a patient's word or a handwritten list of medications and health history, and more time focused on patient care, while working with a more complete and accurate picture of the patient which improves care quality and reduces risks. Practices will also have the ability to send and receive referrals to medical and dental providers and track referral follow through.
For example, a patient who recently started a GLP-1 medication may not think to mention it during a dental visit. When this information is available through their medical record, the dental provider can counsel the patient on hydration and managing dry mouth symptoms that may impact their oral health.
How do Kno2 and Open Dental help make that possible in real-world practice?
Kno2 provides the national interoperability exchange infrastructure, while Open Dental brings deep dental workflow expertise and a platform built to support the way practices actually operate.
What does this mean for the future of dental data exchange?
Open Dental's connection shows that dental interoperability is no longer an abstract goal; it will quickly become operational, and it's happening first for the practices that need it most.
With Open Dental now Kno2 Connected, Kno2's dental interoperability initiative, powered in partnership with CareQuest Innovation Partners, is gaining momentum. This step brings the industry closer to a future where dental and medical information flow together as part of a complete clinical picture. As the initiative expands, CareQuest Innovation Partners' support will help accelerate connections with additional dental PMS platforms, extending interoperability to more practices and patients nationwide.
About Kno2
Kno2 is leading the future of healthcare communication by providing the nation's largest comprehensive communication network, including a federally designated Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) and a CMS Aligned Network. Kno2 enables secure, effortless exchange of patient information across providers, payers, patients, and technology vendors, processing billions of transactions annually.
About Open Dental Software
Founded in 2003 by a dentist, Open Dental Software is one of the most widely-used practice management software programs in the industry. The software is powerful, highly customizable, and affordable, leading to continued rapid growth. Designed for practices of any size, Open Dental streamlines practice management, so you can focus on patient care. Open Dental is committed to innovation and serving dentists' needs.
Learn more at opendental.com.
Media Contact:
Jojo Abbasi
8478090406
SOURCE Kno2
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