Compliance Module Overview
Automated compliance tracking for dental practices -- understand the 8 compliance categories, how the engine works, and how to get started.
What is the Compliance Module?
The Compliance module in ChairPulse provides automated compliance tracking for dental practices. It generates a personalized compliance plan based on your office location, practice type, and the equipment you have on file. Once activated, the system creates recurring tasks on a timeline so your team can stay on top of regulatory requirements without manually tracking deadlines.
Compliance requirements vary by state, and the engine maps federal CDC guidelines and state dental board rules to the specific equipment in your practice. The result is a tailored set of tasks -- each with a due date, a frequency, and a specific completion method (called a "primitive").
The Compliance Wizard and full compliance tracking features require a Professional tier subscription. If you are on a lower tier, you will need to upgrade before you can generate a compliance plan.
How Compliance Works
At a high level, the compliance workflow follows three stages:
Set up with the wizard
The setup wizard walks you through confirming your practice profile, reviewing your equipment, and answering a few practice-specific questions. The system then generates a compliance plan tailored to your office.
Review and confirm requirements
After the wizard generates tasks, you enter requirement review mode. Here you confirm which requirements apply to your practice and dismiss any that do not.
Complete tasks on the dashboard
Once your plan is active, the compliance dashboard shows your tasks organized by priority. Complete tasks as they come due to maintain compliance.
The 8 Compliance Categories
Every compliance requirement falls into one of eight categories. Each category groups related equipment and regulatory obligations together.
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Radiation Equipment | X-ray machines, CBCT, panoramic units |
| Sterilization Equipment | Autoclaves, sterilizers, instrument processing |
| Sedation Systems | Nitrous oxide, anesthesia equipment |
| Water Systems | Waterlines, filtration, treatment |
| Air & Vacuum Systems | Compressors, vacuums, HVE |
| Safety Equipment | Emergency equipment, protective gear |
| Waste Management | Amalgam separators, sharps, biohazard |
| Other | Miscellaneous equipment requirements |
Prerequisites
Before you can use the Compliance module, your office profile must have:
- A state set (determines which state-specific regulations apply)
- A practice type set (e.g., General Dentistry, Pediatric, Orthodontics)
If either is missing, the Compliance page will prompt you to complete your practice profile in Office Settings before proceeding.
Task Completion Primitives
Each compliance task uses one of six completion methods, called "primitives." These determine how you record that a task has been done:
- Heartbeat -- Simple confirmation that the task was completed
- Inspector -- Pass/fail inspection with optional lot number
- Meter -- Numeric reading compared against a threshold
- Clock -- Expiration date tracking with advance notice warnings
- Certificate -- Upload a certificate with service details
- Auto -- Automatically managed by connected equipment
Learn more about each primitive in the dedicated pages below.
Explore Compliance Features
Setup Wizard
Walk through the guided compliance setup process.
Compliance Dashboard
Monitor risk, view your task timeline, and complete tasks.
Completing Tasks
Learn the general task completion flow and evidence collection.
Requirement Review
Confirm or dismiss generated requirements after setup.
Inspector Primitive
Pass/fail inspections for spore tests, equipment checks.
Meter Primitive
Numeric readings for waterline testing and more.
Heartbeat Primitive
Simple confirmation tasks like daily warmups and flushes.
Clock Primitive
Track expiration dates for licenses and safety equipment.
Certificate Primitive
Upload certificates for inspections and calibrations.
Auto Primitive
Tasks automatically managed by connected equipment.
Uploading Evidence
Attach photos, documents, and notes to task completions.
Compliance History
View completed tasks, filter by date, and export audit trails.
Inspector View
Present compliance status during regulatory inspections.
Last updated Mar 13, 2026
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