Using AI to Write Dental Office SOPs and Training Materials

Most dental practices run on tribal knowledge. The sterilization process lives in the head of the lead assistant who’s been there nine years. The patient intake flow is whatever the front desk figured out last time someone got hired. The hygienist onboarding plan is “shadow Maria for a week.” It works until that person calls in sick, quits, or goes on maternity leave. Then the office spends three weeks rebuilding what nobody wrote down.

Written SOPs fix this. The problem has never been that practice owners don’t know their procedures need documenting. It’s that writing a 15-page sterilization protocol from scratch on a Tuesday afternoon, between patients, sounds terrible. And it is terrible. Which is why most offices never do it.

This is the single best use case for AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude in a dental practice: turning the procedures you already know into written documents you can hand to a new hire on day one. Not replacing clinical judgment. Not generating treatment plans. Writing down what your office already does, in a format that’s organized, consistent, and editable.

Why Written SOPs Matter for Dental Practices

The CDC’s Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings don’t merely suggest documentation; they expect it. OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) requires employers to have a written Exposure Control Plan. State dental boards may require documented training records for assistants and hygienists. Beyond compliance, written SOPs reduce errors during staff transitions, shorten the onboarding timeline for new hires, and give you a defensible position if anyone questions your protocols.

The barrier is time. A comprehensive office procedures manual covering sterilization, patient intake, emergency protocols, HIPAA compliance, billing workflows, and clinical procedures can run 50-100 pages. No dentist has a free weekend to write that. AI tools can produce a first draft in an afternoon. (If insurance narratives and claim appeals are part of your documentation backlog, we have a separate prompt library for insurance narratives that covers those templates.)

Exact Prompts That Produce Usable Drafts

The quality of AI-generated SOPs depends entirely on what you put in the prompt. Vague prompts produce generic output. Specific prompts that include your equipment, your staff roles, and your state regulations produce drafts that need editing rather than rewriting.

Prompt 1: Sterilization Protocol

Write a sterilization protocol SOP for a general dental practice with
3 operatories. We use a Statim 5000 cassette autoclave and a Hydrim
C61wd instrument washer. Our clinical team includes 2 dental assistants
and 1 hygienist. The document should follow CDC infection control
guidelines for dental settings. Include step-by-step instrument
processing from chairside breakdown through sterilization verification,
including biological monitoring with weekly spore testing. Format as
a numbered procedure with responsible staff role noted for each step.

Unedited Claude output for this prompt:

Instrument Sterilization Protocol

Purpose: To ensure all reusable dental instruments are processed in compliance with CDC Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings (2003) and manufacturer instructions for use (IFU).

Scope: Applies to all clinical staff (dental assistants and hygienists) handling reusable instruments and devices.

1. Chairside Breakdown (Dental Assistant) 1.1. Wear heavy-duty utility gloves, protective eyewear, and a fluid-resistant gown during instrument breakdown. 1.2. Dispose of single-use sharps (needles, scalpel blades) into the sharps container immediately at chairside. Do not recap needles. 1.3. Place all reusable instruments into a designated transport container (puncture-resistant, leak-proof). Do not carry loose instruments. 1.4. Remove disposable barriers (headrest covers, light handle covers, bracket tray covers) and discard in regulated waste if visibly contaminated with blood.

2. Transport to Sterilization Area (Dental Assistant) 2.1. Carry the sealed transport container to the instrument processing area. 2.2. Do not stage contaminated instruments on any surface outside the designated dirty zone.

3. Cleaning: Hydrim C61wd Automated Washer (Dental Assistant) 3.1. Open instrument cassettes or place loose instruments in the Hydrim C61wd washer rack. Do not overload; instruments must not overlap. 3.2. Add validated cleaning solution per manufacturer IFU. 3.3. Run the appropriate cycle (standard instrument cycle: approximately 20 minutes at 93°C). 3.4. After cycle completion, visually inspect each instrument under adequate lighting. If debris remains, re-run the wash cycle or clean manually with an ultrasonic cleaner.

4. Packaging (Dental Assistant) 4.1. Place cleaned, inspected instruments into sterilization pouches or cassette wraps. 4.2. Seal pouches using a heat sealer or self-sealing closure. Do not staple or tape. 4.3. Place a chemical indicator (Type 5 integrator) inside each package. 4.4. Label each package with the date of sterilization and the sterilization cycle number.

5. Sterilization: Statim 5000 Cassette Autoclave (Dental Assistant) 5.1. Load the Statim cassette per manufacturer IFU. Do not overload. 5.2. Run the unwrapped cycle (6 minutes at 134°C) for immediate-use instruments, or the wrapped cycle (approximately 20 minutes at 134°C) for packaged instruments. 5.3. Monitor the printout for each cycle. Verify time, temperature, and pressure reached required parameters. 5.4. Allow instruments to dry completely before removal. Do not use wet packs.

6. Sterilization Verification (Lead Dental Assistant) 6.1. Mechanical monitoring: Check cycle printout after every load. File in the sterilization log binder. 6.2. Chemical monitoring: Inspect the internal chemical indicator in each package before use. If the indicator has not changed, do not use. Re-sterilize. 6.3. Biological monitoring: Run a spore test (Geobacillus stearothermophilus) at least weekly, and with every implantable device load. Use a control vial processed alongside the test vial. 6.4. Record biological monitoring results in the sterilization log. If a spore test fails: immediately remove the autoclave from service, recall all items processed since the last passing test, and contact the autoclave manufacturer for service.

7. Storage (Dental Assistant or Hygienist) 7.1. Store sterilized packages in closed, dry cabinets in the clean zone. 7.2. Rotate stock: first sterilized, first used. 7.3. Inspect package integrity before use. If a pouch is torn, wet, or the seal is compromised, re-sterilize.

This output is roughly 80% ready to use. What you’d need to add: your specific Statim 5000 cycle settings (which may differ from the defaults listed here depending on your cassette size and firmware version), your practice’s specific spore test brand and incubation procedure, and the name and location of your sterilization log. You’d also want to verify the Hydrim C61wd cycle temperature against your machine’s actual settings, since manufacturer defaults can be changed by the installer.

Prompt 2: Hygienist New-Hire Checklist

Create a 90-day onboarding checklist for a new dental hygienist
joining a general practice that uses Dentrix Ascend for scheduling
and charting. The practice sees about 8-10 hygiene patients per day.
Include first-day orientation items, first-week clinical workflow
training, 30-day competency milestones, and 90-day review criteria.
Format as a checklist grouped by time period.

Unedited ChatGPT output for this prompt:

90-Day Onboarding Checklist: New Dental Hygienist

Pre-Start (Office Manager)

• Workstation and operatory assigned
• Dentrix Ascend login credentials created
• State license and CPR certification copies filed
• Uniform/scrubs ordered if applicable
• Introduce to team via email or group message

Day 1: Orientation

• Office tour: operatories, sterilization area, lab, break room, emergency exits
• Review employee handbook and sign acknowledgment
• Review OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Plan
• Review HIPAA privacy policies and sign BAA if applicable
• Demonstrate emergency protocol: medical emergency kit location, oxygen, AED
• Meet with lead hygienist to review daily schedule structure
• Review patient flow: check-in, seating, handoff to doctor, checkout
• IT walkthrough: Dentrix Ascend login, schedule view, patient chart navigation

Week 1: Clinical Workflow Training

• Shadow lead hygienist for 2 full patient days
• Practice charting in Dentrix Ascend using a test patient record
• Review perio charting protocol: probing depths, bleeding points, recession
• Review radiograph protocol: which series for new patients, recall patients, perio patients
• Review instrument sharpening schedule and technique
• Complete sterilization protocol training (refer to Sterilization SOP)
• Begin seeing patients with lead hygienist in operatory for support

30-Day Milestones

• Independently managing 6-8 patients per day
• Accurate perio charting completed and reviewed by doctor on at least 10 patients
• Dentrix Ascend proficiency: scheduling, charting, treatment plan entry, clinical notes
• Completed all required OSHA and HIPAA training documentation
• Informal check-in with office manager: questions, concerns, workflow adjustments

90-Day Review

• Consistently managing 8-10 patients per day at target pace
• Patient feedback reviewed; no unresolved complaints
• Clinical note quality reviewed by lead hygienist or doctor
• SRP (scaling and root planing) competency confirmed if practice offers perio services
• Formal performance review with dentist/owner: clinical skills, patient rapport, schedule efficiency
• Confirm continued employment or discuss improvement plan

This draft is generic but structurally sound. What you’d customize: your specific radiograph protocols (which sensor, which software), your perio charting workflow in Dentrix Ascend (perio charting in Ascend has specific screen flows that differ from Dentrix G-series), your practice’s patient handoff procedure to the doctor, and any state-specific requirements for supervised practice periods for new hygienists.

Prompt 3: Patient Intake Procedure

For a patient intake SOP, a prompt like this works well:

Write a patient intake procedure for a dental front desk team.
The practice uses Dentrix Ascend and accepts PPO insurance plans.
New patients complete forms online through the Dentrix Ascend patient
portal before their visit. Cover the workflow from online form
submission through seating the patient in the operatory, including
insurance verification, ID and insurance card scanning, medical history
review by clinical staff, and handling patients who arrive without
completing their online forms.

This prompt reliably produces a 1-2 page workflow document covering each step. The output typically includes wait-time benchmarks, fallback procedures for technology failures (portal down, scanner not working), and handoff scripts between front desk and clinical staff. You’ll need to adjust it for your specific insurance verification workflow and your office’s policy on how long you wait for late patients before reassigning the slot. If your scheduling workflow itself needs optimization (no-show patterns, cancellation filling, hygiene recall gaps), see our guide on AI for dental scheduling optimization before writing SOPs around a process that could be improved first.

What to Review Before Using AI-Generated SOPs

AI tools produce confident, well-structured documents. That’s the risk. A sterilization protocol that reads professionally but lists the wrong autoclave temperature will get followed by a new assistant who doesn’t know any better. Before any AI-generated SOP goes into your office manual:

Verify clinical specifics against manufacturer IFUs. The AI may list generic autoclave temperatures and cycle times. Your specific equipment may have different requirements. Check every setting against the actual manufacturer documentation for your exact model.

Check state regulations. Dental practice acts vary by state. Scope of practice for dental assistants, required supervision levels for hygienists, mandatory training topics, and recordkeeping requirements differ. AI models are trained on general information and will not reliably flag your state’s specific requirements.

Confirm OSHA and CDC compliance. The AI will reference CDC guidelines and OSHA standards in general terms. Cross-check any compliance claims against the actual regulatory text. The CDC’s “Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings” and OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) are both freely available online.

Adapt to your actual workflow. AI doesn’t know that your sterilization area is down the hall instead of adjacent to the operatories, or that your front desk has one person instead of three, or that your Statim is the 2000S model, not the 5000. Every document needs a pass where you replace the generic with the specific.

Have your clinical lead review. No AI-generated clinical document should go into use without review by someone who actually performs the procedure. The lead hygienist reviews the sterilization and clinical protocols. The office manager reviews the administrative workflows. The dentist/owner signs off on everything.

Testing Honesty

This article was written using publicly available CDC, OSHA, and OSAP documentation and the author’s experience with AI text generation tools. The AI outputs shown above are actual unedited outputs from Claude and ChatGPT respectively. They were generated using the exact prompts shown and were not cherry-picked from multiple attempts. We have not tested these specific SOPs in a working dental practice. The outputs are presented as starting points for drafting, not as ready-to-implement procedures. Any practice implementing SOPs based on AI-generated drafts should have them reviewed by their compliance officer, infection control coordinator, or consulting dental attorney before putting them into use.