Dental practice management software in Australia: a practical guide to every major PMS (2026)

By Carolyn S Dean, Founder and CEO, Trilbii AI

Your practice management system sits underneath almost everything your team does. It holds the appointment book, the patient record, the treatment plans, the claiming, the recalls and the reports that tell you how the practice is really going. When it works well, nobody talks about it. When it does not fit, the whole team feels it every day.

If you are opening a new practice, outgrowing your current system, or simply wondering whether there is a better option, this guide walks through every major dental PMS available to Australian practices in 2026, what each one does well, and the questions worth asking before you commit.

The short answer

There is no single best dental PMS for every practice. The right system depends on your size, whether you want cloud or on premise software, the imaging and claiming you rely on, and how much reporting and automation you want built in. The systems most commonly used by Australian practices include Dental4Windows and Dental4Web from Centaur Software, Dentally, EXACT and OASIS from Henry Schein One, Core Practice, Praktika, Principle, Zavy360 and CareStack.

Australian dental PMS at a glance

The main systems, one by one

1. Dental4Windows (Centaur Software)

Dental4Windows, often shortened to D4W, is the system many Australian dentists trained on. Centaur Software describes it as Australia’s leading on premise dental PMS, covering appointment booking, marketing, inventory, patient records and clinical charting in one place. It sits inside a wider Centaur ecosystem that includes patient engagement tools, D4W Marketing, MediaSuite imaging and the National Dental Plan payment option.

Strengths: depth of features, a large Australian user base, a wide network of trained staff and a broad range of add on modules.

Worth asking: what your server, backup and remote access setup will look like, and what the path to Dental4Web looks like if you move to the cloud later.

2. Dental4Web (Centaur Software)

Dental4Web is Centaur Software’s web based PMS and the next step from Dental4Windows. It brings online booking, deposit processing, digital check in and automated follow up into the same platform, with imaging integration and enterprise level scalability for groups.

Strengths: access from anywhere, a familiar Centaur approach for teams coming from D4W, and the backing of Centaur’s support and partner network.

Worth asking: whether every D4W module and integration your practice relies on is available, and what migration support is included.

3. Dentally (Henry Schein One)

Dentally is a cloud PMS owned by Henry Schein One, which acquired it in 2020 and launched it in Australia in 2021. It covers the diary, clinical records, treatment planning and reporting, with Dentally Portal for online bookings, forms and payments, Dentally Vision for integrated imaging, and Medicare and HICAPS claiming. A partner marketplace connects payments, feedback and other tools.

Strengths: a modern interface, live dashboards, an open API for integrations and strong multi site visibility.

Worth asking: which imaging systems and third party tools you use already connect through the marketplace, and what onboarding support looks like for your team.

4. EXACT (Henry Schein One)

EXACT comes from Software of Excellence, founded in New Zealand in 1988 and part of Henry Schein One since 2019. It is a comprehensive PMS with more than 30 years of development behind it, and many long established Australian practices still run on it.

Strengths: maturity, detailed clinical and business functionality, and a large installed base.

Worth asking: how the system is hosted and backed up, and what Henry Schein One’s longer term plans for EXACT are, given it actively offers conversion pathways from EXACT to Dentally.

5. OASIS (Henry Schein One)

OASIS is another long standing Henry Schein One system that you will still find in many Australian practices.

Strengths: familiarity for experienced teams and stable day to day workflows.

Worth asking: the same roadmap and hosting questions as EXACT, and what conversion support is available if you decide to move.

6. Core Practice

Core Practice is a Sydney based company founded in 2014 that describes itself as Australia’s first truly cloud based dental PMS. It covers appointments, online bookings, patient records, treatment plans, clinical charts, imaging, patient communication, fee management and reporting, and it is designed to scale from a startup clinic to a multi location group. Its Xero integration syncs patient transactions to Xero each day, which bookkeepers and accountants tend to appreciate.

Strengths: simple, intuitive cloud software, a free trial, data conversion support and strong accounting integration.

Worth asking: how your imaging and existing hardware will connect, and how your historical data will be converted.

7. Praktika

Praktika is developed by Lizard Software in Melbourne and first launched in 2007, which makes it one of the earliest browser based dental PMS options in Australia. It covers the appointment book, perio and restorative charting, patient files, billing, quotes and treatment plans, and reporting, with a flat monthly fee per practice.

Strengths: simplicity, predictable pricing and no local server to maintain.

Worth asking: how well it suits your size and workflow complexity, particularly if you are planning to grow into more chairs or sites.

8. Principle

Principle is a newer cloud PMS built in Sydney for Australian and New Zealand practices. Its feature set includes online appointments, gap filling, smart treatment planning, templated appointments and notes, automations, task management and team chat. Principle describes itself as the only Australian PMS with an AI receptionist built directly inside the system, and it integrates with Tyro Health for Medicare, DVA and private health fund claiming.

Strengths: modern workflows, automation and AI features designed into the core product.

Worth asking: which AI features are live today and which are still on the roadmap, and how imaging is handled.

9. Zavy360

Zavy360 is an Australian cloud PMS covering appointments, clinical charting, patient communication and billing, used by both general and specialist practices.

Strengths: a cloud first design with built in patient communication tools.

Worth asking: how it supports your specialty, your claiming and your reporting needs.

10. CareStack

CareStack is an all in one cloud platform that originated in the United States and has an Australian presence. It covers scheduling, clinical records, billing, patient engagement, campaigns and reporting, supports HICAPS, and is often considered by larger groups and DSOs.

Strengths: a broad feature set in one platform and tools designed for multi site organisations.

Worth asking: how Australian claiming, local support hours and data storage are handled, and what implementation looks like for your size of practice.

Other systems you may come across

Online directories also list systems such as Dentrix, Open Dental, Curve Dental and Eaglesoft. These are built mainly for the North American market. If one of them interests you, confirm Australian claiming (HICAPS, Medicare and DVA), local support and Australian data storage before you go further.

What an Australian practice needs from its PMS

• Australian claiming: HICAPS, Medicare (including the Child Dental Benefits Schedule) and DVA, built in or through a trusted integration.
• A reliable appointment book: online booking, reminders, gap filling and clear chair utilisation.
• Recall and reactivation reporting: the ability to see active and lapsed patients and act on them.
• Treatment plan tracking: visibility of treatment presented but not yet booked.
• Imaging and integrations: a clean connection to your imaging software, payments, accounting and patient communication tools.
• Security and data storage: clear answers on where data is held, who can access it, and how it is backed up.
• Support that suits your hours: local, responsive support during Australian business hours.

Cloud or on premise?

On premise systems such as Dental4Windows, EXACT and OASIS run on a server in your practice. Teams often value the depth of features and the familiarity, while the practice takes responsibility for the server, backups and remote access.

Cloud systems such as Dental4Web, Dentally, Core Practice, Praktika, Principle, Zavy360 and CareStack run in a browser. The provider manages hosting, updates and backups, and the team can log in from any location with a secure internet connection. For many practices, particularly new and multi site practices, cloud is now the starting point for the conversation.

Questions to ask in every PMS demo

1. Can the system report on active and lapsed patients at 18 months? Many systems default to 24 months, and on a six month recall cycle a patient at 18 months has already missed two recalls.
2. Can it show me every patient with treatment presented and not yet booked?
3. Which imaging systems, payment providers and accounting tools does it integrate with today?
4. How are HICAPS, Medicare and DVA claims handled?
5. Where is our data stored, and how is it backed up and secured?
6. What does migration include, how long does it take, and what historical data comes across?
7. What training and support are included, and during which hours?
8. What does the full cost look like, including setup, conversion, add ons, SMS and per user or per chair fees?
9. Can we speak with a practice of a similar size that has made the same move?

Making the switch with less disruption

• Run a full report set from your current system before you migrate, so you have a baseline to check against.
• Clean up duplicate and inactive patient records first, which makes conversion faster and more accurate.
• Choose a lighter period for go live and protect extra time in the appointment book for the first two weeks.
• Nominate one team member as the internal champion who becomes the go to person for questions.
• Book follow up training four to six weeks after go live, once the team knows which questions they actually have.

Where Trilbii fits

Trilbii is built specifically for the non clinical side of running a dental practice, helping teams with marketing, operations, AHPRA advertising compliance and practice management. It’s designed to make the work around dentistry easier, especially the tasks that can take up a huge amount of time in a busy practice.

Trilbii works alongside your PMS. Your PMS runs the appointment book and the patient record, and Trilbii helps your team with the content, communication and admin around it. For more on that, see 5 ways AI can reduce admin in your dental practice.

A note on independence: Trilbii is currently integrating with Dental4Windows and Dental4Web, both Centaur Software products, and Dentally and Core Practice are on our future integration list. We take no commission from any provider in this guide and we do not implement migrations. We have included every major system available to Australian practices so you can compare them on their merits.

If you would like to see how Trilbii could support your team alongside the PMS you use today, book a demo.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

• 5 ways AI can reduce admin in your dental practice
• How to choose AI tools for your dental practice
• Trilbii joins the Centaur Software Partner Network

Sources and provider links

• Centaur Software, Dental4Windows and Dental4Web
• Henry Schein One Australia, Dentally, EXACT and OASIS
• Core Practice and the Core Practice Xero integration
• Praktika
• Principle
• Zavy360
• CareStack Australia

Provider details were checked against each provider’s own website in October 2026. Features and pricing change, so confirm current details directly with each provider.