OpenEMR

OpenEMR is a free, open-source electronic health record (EHR) and practice management system maintained by a community of volunteers and contributors. It is built for medical practices, but clinics that offer both medical and dental care, dental schools with a general health service, and charities running mixed clinics often consider it. If you are searching for an OpenEMR free download, the good news is that the software itself costs nothing. The real work is hosting it, securing it and adapting it to dentistry.

A dental team should know one thing before starting: OpenEMR has no built-in tooth chart, periodontal chart or dental claim form. What it does offer is a mature appointment book, clinical record, e-prescribing, billing, a patient portal and a form builder. With those, a practice can record dental findings in structured custom forms.

OpenEMR at a glance

What it does

• Scheduling: a multi-provider calendar with recalls and automated workflows.
• Clinical records: encounters, problem lists, medications, allergies, immunisations, lab results and scanned documents.
• Electronic prescribing, where connected to a supported e-prescribing service.
• Billing with a fee sheet, code sets you maintain, and US claim files (ASC X12) for clearinghouses.
• A patient portal that gives patients online access to their information.
• A FHIR-based API for connecting other systems, plus clinical decision rules and quality reporting.
• A layout-based form editor for building custom clinical forms without programming.
• Translations into more than 30 languages. According to the project, version 8 is ONC-certified, a US health IT certification that is not a medical-device clearance.

How dental teams use it

Build a structured dental examination form

Log in as an administrator and open the layout editor. Create a new layout-based form (for example “Oral examination”). Add a list field for tooth numbers in your notation (FDI or Universal), plus text or list fields for caries, restorations, mobility, pocket depths and the treatment plan. Activate the form. Clinicians can then add it to any encounter, and the fields can be searched and reported on later.

Set up dental procedures on the fee sheet

In the codes administration screen, create the procedure codes and fees your practice uses and group them into a dental category on the fee sheet. At checkout, the provider ticks the procedures performed. Note: OpenEMR does not include the ADA’s CDT code set; if you use CDT, you must license and enter the codes yourself.

Attach radiographs and scans to the record

Create a document category such as “Dental imaging” and upload exported radiographs, intraoral photos or CBCT reports to each patient. OpenEMR stores and displays these files, but viewing DICOM volumes, measuring and planning still happen in your imaging software.

Share one record between medical and dental staff

In a community clinic, a physician and a dentist can see the same medication list, allergy list and medical history. This is the main reason dental services choose OpenEMR instead of a stand-alone dental program. Use access control lists to decide which roles can see which forms.

Install and first run

• Docker (recommended by the project): run the official openemr/openemr image together with a MariaDB or MySQL container, using the compose examples from the project, and complete setup in the browser. Keep the database and the documents folder on persistent volumes.
• Linux: unpack the release archive under Apache or Nginx and run the web installer. Version 8.4.x needs PHP 8.3 or newer and MariaDB 10.11+ or MySQL 8.4+.
• Windows: the project publishes a ZIP package with its own installation guide; you need a PHP and MySQL/MariaDB web stack. Docker Desktop is the simpler option.
• macOS: no native installer; use Docker Desktop.
• Before real patients: change default passwords, enable HTTPS, schedule database and document backups, and test a restore. Read the release notes before each upgrade, because minimum PHP and database versions change.

Limitations

• No graphical odontogram, periodontal chart or dental claim form in the core product; all dental structure comes from custom forms.
• Billing, certification and many reports follow US rules. Practices elsewhere use it mainly for records and scheduling.
• You are responsible for hosting, security, backups, upgrades and privacy compliance.
• The interface is dense; plan time for configuration and staff training.
• Free support comes from the community forum; guaranteed support comes from independent paid vendors.

OpenEMR vs alternatives

FAQ

Is OpenEMR really free?

Yes. OpenEMR is free and open source under the GNU GPL v3, with no licence fee or paid edition. Your costs are hosting, setup time, optional paid support and third-party services such as e-prescribing networks or clearinghouses.

Is there an OpenEMR demo and login?

Yes. The official site links to public demo installations with logins for several roles, and to patient portal demos. The demos are reset regularly, so nothing you enter is kept.

Can I download OpenEMR for Windows or Mac?

For Windows there is an official ZIP package with an installation guide, or you can use Docker Desktop. On a Mac, run OpenEMR in Docker Desktop; there is no native Mac app.

How do I install OpenEMR with Docker?

Start the official openemr/openemr image with a MariaDB or MySQL container, map persistent volumes, and finish the setup in your browser. The project’s compose examples show a working configuration.

Does OpenEMR have a dental module?

Not in the core release. Dental teams record findings with custom layout-based forms and maintain their own procedure codes on the fee sheet.

Is OpenEMR HIPAA compliant?

OpenEMR provides access control, audit logs and encryption options, but HIPAA compliance depends on how you host, secure and run it, not on the software alone.

OpenEMR vs OpenMRS: what is the difference?

OpenEMR is a complete outpatient practice system with scheduling and US billing. OpenMRS is a medical record platform for health programmes, usually deployed through distributions such as Bahmni.

What are open-source OpenEMR alternatives?

GNU Health and OpenMRS/Bahmni are the best-known free options. For a dental-only practice, dedicated dental practice software such as Open Dental is usually a better fit.

Last checked against official sources: 26 September 2026 (developer website: open-emr.org). Versions and licence terms change — confirm on the developer's site before deploying in a clinic.