Major Enhancements (Summary)

• A new KPI dashboard home screen giving a quick overview of many different practice trends over a period of time.
• Entirely new full screen, voice controlled perio charting system.
• Detailed perio diagnosis using the red/amber/green method for clear patient information. 
• Referral management system to track current status.
• The ability to group oral camera images into “Image Sets” providing easy comparison.
• Better integration with oral cameras using TWAIN drivers.
• Major new AI enhancements.
• Implementation of the latest NHS contract changes for England.
• Implementation of an entirely new claims format for Wales.
• Many other improvements and bug fixes (see attached).

There are dozens of other changes in 4.4.5, and customers will receive a full release document by e-mail.

As always, Software 4 Dentists are at the forefront of technology within the dental industry.

Request Appointment Availability

The appointment diary has separate availability for each provider. Practices can specify separate working hours for online bookings, so there will be two `providerSchedules` returned for each provider. You decide whether you should use the "online" working hours, or the standard diary working hours, depending on your integration's purpose.

Step 1 - Get the gaps

GET /api/providerSchedules?
    from=2026-01-15 &
    to=2026-01-22 &
    filter=isProviderActive eq true and isOnlineBooking eq false &
    expand=gaps

The request returns a list of provider schedules for the next week and each schedule has a list of gaps.

In the example response below, we can see that provider '102010942057506740' has a 30 minute gap at 09:00 and a 2 hour and 15 minute gap at 9:45, so there must be an existing appointment between 09:30 and 09:45.

{
  "@odata.context": "https://bridgeitonline.co.uk/api/$metadata#ProviderSchedules",
  "value": [
    {
      "date": "2026-01-15",
      "providerId": "102010942057506740",
      "isOnlineBooking": false,
      "start": "09:00:00.0000000",
      "finish": "18:00:00.0000000",
      "lunchStart": "13:00:00.0000000",
      "lunchFinish": "14:00:00.0000000",
      "isProviderActive": true,
      "gaps": 
    },
    ...
  ]
}

Step 2 - Check for diary zone restrictions

Practices may add booking restrictions in appointment diary zones. This information is returned as "diaryZoneId" and "diaryZoneDescription", for each gap. If the diary section is not zoned these values will be empty.

For example, from the response above we see that the gap from 09:45 to 12:00 is not zoned ("diaryZoneId": 0), so we can book any appointment type in this section:

{
  "date": "2026-01-15",
  "providerId": "102010942057506740",
  "start": "09:45:00.0000000",
  "end": "12:00:00.0000000",
  "diaryZoneDescription": "",
  "diaryZoneId": "0",
  "isOnlineBooking": false,
  "isProviderActive": true
},

Whereas the gap from 12:00 to 12:30 is in the "Fillings only" diary zone:

{
  "date": "2026-01-15",
  "providerId": "102010942057506740",
  "start": "12:00:00.0000000",
  "end": "12:30:00.0000000",
  "diaryZoneDescription": "Fillings only",
  "diaryZoneId": "1501267424507775056",
  "isOnlineBooking": false,
  "isProviderActive": true
}

We can use the `/api/diaryZones` endpoint to get the diary zone details and check for any booking restrictions.

Here's the query passing the "diaryZoneId" from the example above:

GET /api/diaryZones(1501267424507775056)

In the example response below we see that "hasTreatmentCategoryRestrictions" is `true`, which means we need to check which treatment categories we're allowed to book appointments for. The "permittedTreatmentCategoryIds" property shows there are two valid treatment categories only. If we try to book an appointment for a different treatment category in this zone, the request will be rejected.

{
  "@odata.context": "https://bridgeitonline.co.uk/api/$metadata#DiaryZones/$entity",
  "start": "12:00:00.0000000",
  "end": "13:00:00.0000000",
  "dayOfWeek": "THURSDAY",
  "providerId": "102010942057506740",
  "description": "Fillings only",
  "hasTreatmentCategoryRestrictions": true,
  "permittedTreatmentCategoryIds": ,
  "staffCanOverride": false,
  "id": "1501267424507775056",
  "colour": "#8080ff"
}

The diary zone information is also available as an expansion on schedule gaps, so we can get all of the information in a single request with a nested expand:

Here's the query:

GET /api/providerSchedules?
    from=2026-01-15 &
    to=2026-01-22 &
    filter=isProviderActive eq true and isOnlineBooking eq false &
    expand=gaps(expand=diaryZone)

Which returns a response like this:

{
  "@odata.context": "https://bridgeitonline.co.uk/api/$metadata#ProviderSchedules",
  "value": [
    {
      "date": "2026-01-15",
      "providerId": "102010942057506740",
      "isOnlineBooking": false,
      "start": "09:00:00.0000000",
      "finish": "18:00:00.0000000",
      "lunchStart": "13:00:00.0000000",
      "lunchFinish": "14:00:00.0000000",
      "isProviderActive": true,
      "gaps": [
        ...
        {
          "date": "2026-01-15",
          "providerId": "102010942057506740",
          "start": "12:00:00.0000000",
          "end": "12:30:00.0000000",
          "diaryZoneDescription": "Fillings only",
          "diaryZoneId": "1501267424507775056",
          "isOnlineBooking": false,
          "isProviderActive": true,
          "diaryZone": {
            "start": "12:00:00.0000000",
            "end": "13:00:00.0000000",
            "dayOfWeek": "THURSDAY",
            "providerId": "102010942057506740",
            "description": "Fillings only",
            "hasTreatmentCategoryRestrictions": true,
            "permittedTreatmentCategoryIds": ,
            "staffCanOverride": false,
            "id": "1501267424507775056",
            "colour": "#8080ff"
          }
        },
	...
      ]
    },
    ...
  ]
}

• For the provider schedules, we just need the date and provider id.
• For the gaps, we need start and end times.
• For the diary zones, we need to know whether there are restrictions, and if so, the permitted categories.

We use the `select` query option for this.

Tip: when you have multiple queries nested in an expand query, they are separated by ; not &

Here's the full query:

GET /api/providerSchedules?
    from=2026-01-15 &
    to=2026-01-22 &
    filter=isProviderActive eq true and isOnlineBooking eq false &
    select=date, providerId &
    expand=gaps(
      select=start, end ;
      expand=diaryZone(
        select=hasTreatmentCategoryRestrictions, permittedTreatmentCategoryIds
      )
    )

You can see the difference in in the response size below:

{
  "@odata.context": "https://bridgeitonline.co.uk/api/$metadata#ProviderSchedules",
  "value": [
    {
      "date": "2026-01-15",
      "providerId": "102010942057506740",
      "gaps": [
        {
          "start": "09:00:00.0000000",
          "end": "09:30:00.0000000",
          "diaryZone": null
        },
        {
          "start": "09:45:00.0000000",
          "end": "12:00:00.0000000",
          "diaryZone": null
        },
        {
          "start": "12:00:00.0000000",
          "end": "12:30:00.0000000",
          "diaryZone": {
            "hasTreatmentCategoryRestrictions": true,
            "permittedTreatmentCategoryIds": 
          }
        },
        {
          "start": "14:00:00.0000000",
          "end": "18:00:00.0000000",
          "diaryZone": null
        }
      ]
    },
    ...
  ]
}

If you're struggling with your integration, ask a question over on the API Integration Support forum.

This tutorial shows how NUACOM customers can connect their accounts to Bridge-IT to enable the VOIP integration features.

Create an API Key in your NUACOM dashboard

Log in to your NUACOM account at https://nuacom.ie.

Then, from the menu bar select Settings > Apps and Integrations.

Scroll down and click to View/Edit API Keys near the bottom of the page.

Click + Add new key, name it, and copy the API key at the bottom.

Connect the account in Bridge-IT

In Bridge-IT, navigate to File > Practice Settings > VOIP > Nuacom.

Paste the API Key you copied from NUACOM into the API Key box.

Enter the extension next to each of the Bridge-IT clients listed below.

Click Connect, and wait for the account to be connected.

Click OK to save the practice settings.

Note: if there are missing Bridge-IT clients, this means VOIP integration has not been enabled on those clients.

Please contact Software 4 Dentists to enable or disable VOIP integration on Bridge-IT clients.

Restart Bridge-IT

Restart Bridge-IT on any of the Bridge-IT clients which were listed in the VOIP settings.

Click File > Exit

Then start Bridge-IT and log back in.

Your NUACOM account is connected!

• New “Patient Care Manager” allowing easy tracking of patient treatment progress.
• New “Plan Templates” feature, allowing you create templates from existing plans and apply them to new courses.
• Major improvements in clinical note AI transcription (voice to text).
• New appointment book “zoning” feature so sections can specified in your diary to allow only certain treatments.
• Improved finding mechanism when searching for available appointment slots in the diary.
• Improvements in Online Booking System.
• Implementation of the Welsh Data Access Portal (DAP) for NHS customers in Wales.
• Many other improvements and bug fixes (see attached)

There are dozens of other changes in 4.4.4, and customers will receive a full release document by e-mail.

As always, Software 4 Dentists are at the forefront of technology within the dental industry.

An OpenAPI (Swagger) specification for the API is available, which details all currently available endpoints and can be used to send manual requests to Bridge-IT. Find it here, https://bridgeitonline.co.uk/api/docs.

In this tutorial you will create an API key for a new integration and send a couple of requests for some Bridge-IT data using the OpenAPI docs page, above. You can expand any of attached images by just clicking on the image to open it in full-screen mode.

Create an API key in Bridge-IT

Navigate to File > Practice Settings from the top menu bar.

Switch to the API tab, and enter "https://bridgeitonline.co.uk" into the API Server Name box.

Note: You may be provided a different API Server Name by your Software 4 Dentists support representative, in which case you would enter the given details instead.

Ensure the Activate API box is ticked.

If it is not ticked, contact Software 4 Dentists to activate the module before proceeding.

Click Manage API Accessibility. This will display any active API keys and to which data they provide access (their scope).

Click Add Key.

Enter "Bridge-IT API Tutorial" in the Name box.

Click Generate API Key to generate the new key, which is shown in the API Key box above.

Copy the generated API key text for later.

Click OK.

The Bridge-IT API Tutorial key is now shown in the API Keys list, but it has no scope to access any data yet.

Let's add the access we need!

Click on the Bridge-IT API Tutorial key under API Keys, so that it is highlighted.

Now, click and drag the Read Appointments scope from the right-hand panel and drop it on the Bridge-IT API Tutorial key on the left.

The Read Appointments scope will now be listed under the Bridge-IT API Tutorial key and the Read Appointments scope will be ticked on the right.

Click Save & Close to finish, then click OK to leave Practice Settings.

We're now ready to try out the Bridge-IT API!

Send an API request

Note: Make sure Bridge-IT is running when following the below steps.

Open a web browser and navigate to "https://bridgeitonline.co.uk/api/docs".

Scroll down the page and click Authorize.

Paste the API key we created earlier into the Value box, then click Authorize, then Close.

We can now send a request to the Bridge-IT API!

Let's request some of our appointment data.

Scroll down to the Appointments section.

Expand the GET /api/appointments - Retrieves all appointments action.

Click Try it out.

Click the Execute button to send the request.

Request success

A successful API request will show the response data below.

The API uses server-side paging, so collections of data will be limited to 50 results, and a "Next Link" will be provided in the response to enable you to request the next page of data.

Note: The API docs page we used to send our sample request is only for trying out the API, it does not provide the capability to ask for subsequent pages of data. A tool such as postman can be used to investigate the API more fully.

Request failure

If the API request failed, the reason will be shown and you can investigate the cause.

Here's an example where we try to request contact information:

Scroll down to the ContactInformation section.

Expand the GET /api/contactInformation - Retrieves contact information for all patients and contacts action.

Execute the action, as before.

Instead of a successful response we receive an error with status code 403, with the details shown below.

The message tells us that our access has been denied, and the reason is included in the WWW-Authenticate response header, as usual.

The reason is "insufficient_scope", our API key doesn't have "ReadContactInformation" scope.

This is correct! We only added Read Appointments to our API key's scope. If our integration requires access to contact information, the scope of our API key should be expanded to include Read Contact Information. We would just drag and drop that scope onto our API key in Bridge-IT's Practice Settings, as before.

Ready to go

You are now ready to start developing your Bridge-IT integration!

Before you get started, please read the instructions at the top of the API docs page where it explains about filtering data using OData and has notes about API versioning and handling of large numbers.

If you have any questions you can ask in our How-to forum and we will be happy to respond. We always welcome suggestions, so if you have any, these can go on the Suggestions forum.

Happy coding!

• A.I. based clinical note transcription and templating.
• A.I. patient search engine to make mailshots easily targetable.
• Improved BPE chart by adding the "Ramfjord Teeth" assessment for recording plaque and bleeding scores.
• Inserting images (including your practice logo) onto your medical history and other web forms to help brand your forms.
• A comprehensive redesign of the way payments are made towards invoices making provider earnings tracking effortless.
• Enhancements to VOIP integration.
• Many other improvements and bug fixes.

1. A generic declaration for your treatment plans

The simplest way to get consent is to add patient consent as a standard declaration to your treatment plans and/or options. To do this select "File" -> "Practice Settings" from the main menu at the top of the screen and select the "Documents" tab.

In the treatment plan declaration, insert the consent text you would like to show at the bottom of your plan where the patient signs the plan.

2. A note that appears beneath individual treatments that contains consent information specific to that treatment.

Go to the treatments database by selecting "Treatments" on the left of the screen and double-click a treatment you would like to always add consent for.

Select the "Notes" tab and below the "Treatment Plan Notes" section, insert the consent text you would like to appear beneath that treatment when it is added to a treatment plan.

3. Create a quick document consent template using the Bridge-IT word processor.

If you would like the patient to sign a separate consent letter for the treatment being performed, go to "Documents" on the left of the screen and select "Word Processor". Create your document template by typing in the consent information and inserting the required fields using the selection on the left of the document. This template can be as generic (covering all treatments) or as specific as you like. For example, below is a sample consent template for Crowns, Veneers and Bridges.

Now when we want the patient to sign the letter, we can either "Create Quick Document" from the "Common Tasks" section at the bottom of the patient record, which will insert the various fields we have added such as name and address etc. If your practice uses the Sign-IT app, you can send the document to the tablet for the patient to sign and it will then be stored under the "Documents" tab in the patient record.

4. Automatically send generic consent forms for signing whenever the patient has an upcoming appointment using the online patient portal.

To always send a consent form to a patient for an upcoming appointment using the online patient portal, first create the consent template using the word processor as described above.

Then, from the main menu at the top of the screen, select "Patient Portals" -> "Configure Web Forms Portal" and select the "Form Selection & Automation" tab.

Under the "Additional Quick Documents Requiring Signature", tick the consent form you would like to send as standard before any appointment. This will send out the consent form along with all your other web forms.

5. Automatically send treatment specific consent related forms for signing using the online patient portal.

If you want the software to automatically send consent forms for treatments that are due to be performed in the next appointment in your patient's chart, first create all the consent templates you require with the word processor as described above.

Now we need to connect your consent forms to the treatments they relate to, so go to the treatments database by selecting "Treatments" on the left of the screen and double-click a treatment you would like to connect to a consent form you have created.

Select the "Links" tab, and below the "Quick Documents" section, tick the consent template you want a patient to sign when having this treatment.

Then, from the main menu at the top of the screen, select "Patient Portals" -> "Configure Web Forms Portal" and select the "Form Selection & Automation" tab.

Tick the box "Automatically send forms relating to treatments in the next appointment".

When the patient's appointment is due, the software will analyse the planned treatments for the next appointment in the patient's chart and automatically send the relevant consent forms along with your other web forms.

If you need any assistance setting up your patient consent option please call us.