How to Record Vital Signs

Recording vital signs before dental procedures is important for patient safety, especially for patients with medical conditions like hypertension or diabetes.

When to Record Vital Signs

Before any surgical procedure (extractions, implants)

For patients with known cardiovascular conditions

When administering sedation

During emergency situations

At the dentist's discretion for routine visits

Recording Vitals

Open the patient record

Click the Vital Signs tab (or record directly from the appointment view)

Click + Record Vitals

Enter the measurements:

Vital Sign	Unit	Normal Range
Blood Pressure (Systolic)	mmHg	90-120
Blood Pressure (Diastolic)	mmHg	60-80
Pulse Rate	bpm	60-100
Temperature	°C or °F	36.1-37.2°C
Oxygen Saturation	%	95-100%
Respiratory Rate	breaths/min	12-20

Add any relevant notes (e.g., "Patient reported feeling anxious")

Click Save

Alerts and Warnings

The system highlights abnormal readings:

Yellow warning — Readings slightly outside normal range

Red alert — Readings significantly outside normal range requiring attention

For example, blood pressure above 180/110 will trigger a red alert suggesting the dentist assess whether to proceed with treatment.

Vital Signs History

The Vital Signs tab shows a chronological list of all recorded measurements. For patients with regular visits, this creates a trend that helps identify changes over time.

Click View Trend to see a line chart of blood pressure and pulse rate across visits.

Pre-Procedure Checklist

For surgical procedures, vital signs recording is part of the pre-procedure checklist. The system will prompt you to record vitals before marking a surgical appointment as "In Progress."

For patient medical records, see Medical History. For clinical documentation, see How to Write Clinical Notes.

How to Record Vital Signs