Why I Built a Free, Open-Source Dental ERP for India
The story behind building a comprehensive dental hospital management system with AI capabilities, GST billing, and tele-dentistry — designed specifically for the Indian healthcare market.
Key Takeaways
- Most dental practice management software in India is expensive, outdated, or not built for Indian compliance requirements
- An open-source alternative with GST billing, AI tele-dentistry, and modern UX can dramatically improve dental practice operations
- Next.js, Prisma, and MySQL provide a robust, maintainable stack for healthcare applications
The Problem
Dental practices in India face a unique set of challenges when it comes to practice management software:
- Expensive proprietary solutions: Most dental ERP systems charge monthly per-seat fees that small practices can't afford
- No GST compliance: International software doesn't handle India's GST billing requirements
- Outdated interfaces: Many existing solutions look and feel like they were built in 2005
- No tele-dentistry: Post-COVID, tele-dentistry is essential but rarely integrated into practice management tools
- No patient portal: Patients expect self-service booking and record access
I built dental-erp to solve all of these problems in a single, free, open-source package.
The Tech Stack
- Next.js 16: Server-side rendering for fast page loads, App Router for clean architecture
- TypeScript: Type safety across the entire codebase — critical for healthcare data
- Prisma ORM: Type-safe database access with migration management
- MySQL: Reliable, battle-tested relational database for structured healthcare data
- Tailwind CSS: Modern, responsive UI without CSS bloat
Core Features
Patient Management
Complete patient records including medical history, treatment plans, X-rays, and visit history. The system is designed around the patient journey — from first appointment to ongoing care.
GST-Compliant Billing
Built from the ground up for Indian GST requirements. Automatically generates GST-compliant invoices, handles HSN codes for dental procedures, and produces reports ready for GST filing.
AI-Powered Tele-Dentistry
Integrated video consultation capability with AI-assisted preliminary screening. Patients can upload photos of dental concerns, and the AI provides initial assessment notes for the dentist to review before the consultation.
Patient Portal
A self-service portal where patients can:
- Book and manage appointments
- View their treatment history
- Access and download invoices
- Communicate with the practice
Inventory Management
Track dental supplies, set reorder thresholds, and monitor usage patterns. The system alerts when supplies are running low and can generate purchase orders.
Why Open Source Matters for Healthcare
Healthcare software should be transparent, auditable, and accessible. By making dental-erp open source:
- Small practices can deploy it without licensing fees
- Developers can audit the code for security and compliance
- The community can contribute features and improvements
- Students can learn from a real-world healthcare application
What's Next
The roadmap includes multi-branch support for dental chains, integration with Indian insurance providers, and enhanced AI diagnostics. Contributions from the community are welcome.
Check out the project at github.com/abinauv/dental-erp, and if you're interested in healthcare technology consulting, let's talk.