Small dental clinics usually have a practice system for appointments, clinical notes and billing. The records that tend to stay on paper are the sterilisation logbook, the daily checks, and the follow-up lists for recall patients and undecided treatment plans. This guide shows a simple structure for each. It is operational record-keeping only, not clinical, infection-control or legal advice. Your infection prevention and control (IPC) policy and the manufacturer's instructions come first, and clinics licensed by DoH or MOHAP should check their own regulator's guidance.
1. What DHA asks a sterilisation logbook to show
DHA's Standards for Outpatient Facilities (ST-45) section 6.15.13 asks facilities to "Provide Sterilization logbook to keep track of the sterilization cycles", recording the date, time, cycle number, instruments sterilised and operator name. Section 6.15.10 lists what package labels identify (operator, steriliser, cycle or load number, processing date, and expiry date when applicable).
2. The checks to record with each cycle
DHA's Clinical Guidelines for Infection Control in Dentistry (CG-10, Issue 2, effective 1 March 2026) describe physical, chemical and biological monitoring. In summary:
| Check | What CG-10 says (summarised) |
|---|---|
| Physical monitors | Review time, temperature and pressure for each cycle. |
| Chemical indicators | External indicator on packages; internal indicator in each package. |
| Bowie & Dick test | "must be performed daily" for pre-vacuum sterilisers. |
| Biological indicator (BI) | Routine testing "recommended to be done weekly, preferably daily", with an unprocessed control BI from the same lot. |
| Positive BI | Steps include reviewing the cycle records, recalling items and re-testing after the problem is corrected. |
A practical log has one row per cycle with: date, time, steriliser, cycle number, contents, operator, physical OK, external and internal indicator OK, Bowie & Dick result, BI run, BI lot and result, control BI positive, action taken and checked by. Anything that fails stays highlighted until the action is written down. Read the original documents; this table is a summary.
3. Recall: a list, a message and three attempts
The treating dentist sets each patient's recall interval. Due date = last visit + interval. Each morning, list patients who are overdue or due within 30 days, send a short message in their language, and note the date. After three attempts, record the outcome and stop. Keep the list minimal: file number, first name, mobile, language. No clinical details, and only message patients who agreed to be contacted.
The free dental recall planner takes a pasted list, works out due dates, shows who is overdue or due soon and writes English or Arabic reminders, all in the browser.
4. Treatment plans waiting for a decision
Note each plan you present with the date, a short non-clinical description and the estimate. Any plan still "presented" or "on hold" two weeks later gets a call. Track how many plans are accepted each month and the value still undecided.
5. Chair utilisation
Per chair per day: available hours, booked hours, attended hours and no-show hours. Utilisation = attended ÷ available. It shows which chairs and sessions have room before you spend on marketing.
6. One workbook for all four
The optional Dental Clinic Ops Kit (Excel / Google Sheets, English + Arabic, $49 Clinic / $99 Group, one-off, 14-day money-back guarantee) has the recall list with attempts and bookings, treatment-plan follow-up, chair utilisation, the sterilisation logbook, a steriliser status sheet and a printable checklist with DHA references. It's a lightweight add-on to your practice system, not a replacement for it or for NABIDH reporting.
Sources
- DHA – Clinical Guidelines for Infection Control in Dentistry, CG-10 Issue 2 (effective 1 March 2026) (PDF)
- DHA – Standards for Outpatient Facilities, ST-45 (effective 19 January 2025) (PDF)
Related guides
- Salon rebooking on WhatsApp and commission before VAT: a simple routine for UAE salons
- How to write a car repair quote with 5% VAT and send it on WhatsApp (UAE)
Published 2026-10-09 by Karuna Labs. Our tools check file structure and checksums; always review outputs (and payment files in your bank's preview) before relying on them. This is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice.