MyDentAssist - Dental Clinic Management Application

Simplified Project Plan for Solo Development

Document Version: 1.0

Date: April 14, 2025
Created for: Solo Developer Implementation

Table of Contents

1. Project Overview

2. Target Audience

3. Simplified System Architecture

4. Reduced Development Roadmap

5. Essential Features

6. Simplified Database Schema

7. Basic API Structure

8. Testing Approach

9. Deployment Plan

10. Maintenance & Support

11. Risk Management

1. Project Overview

1.1 Introduction

MyDentAssist is a streamlined dental clinic management application

designed to help small dental practices manage their daily operations. The
application focuses on the core necessities: appointment scheduling, basic
patient record management, and simple staff coordination.

1.2 Vision Statement

To create a simple, functional, and free digital solution that helps dental
practices organize their operations and improve patient experience.

1.3 Core Objectives

 Digitize basic dental practice management

 Enable appointment scheduling and management

  Store and retrieve patient records securely

 Facilitate communication between staff members

 Provide a simple interface for patients to book appointments

1.4 Success Metrics

 30% reduction in missed appointments

 Elimination of paper-based appointment books

 All patient records digitally accessible

 Positive feedback from staff on usability

2. Target Audience

2.1 Primary Users

2.1.1 Dental Secretaries

 Needs: Basic scheduling, patient management

 Pain Points: Paper-based records, phone interruptions

2.1.2 Dentists

 Needs: Patient history access, schedule overview

 Pain Points: Lack of centralized information

2.1.3 Patients

 Needs: Easy appointment booking and reminders

 Pain Points: Forgotten appointments, scheduling difficulties

2.2 Secondary Users

 Small dental clinic owners

 Dental assistants

3. Simplified System Architecture

3.1 Technology Stack (Open Source)

3.1.1 Frontend

 Framework: React.js (free, open-source)

 UI Components: Bootstrap (free, open-source)

  State Management: React Context API (built into React)

3.1.2 Backend

 Framework: Node.js with Express (free, open-source)

 Authentication: JWT + bcrypt (free, open-source)

3.1.3 Database

 Database: SQLite (for development) / MySQL (for production) (both

free, open-source)

 File Storage: Local file system with backup solution

3.1.4 DevOps

 Hosting: Netlify (frontend), Render or Railway free tier (backend)

 Version Control: GitHub (free for personal projects)

3.2 Simplified Components

 User authentication system

 Appointment calendar

 Patient records database

 Basic notification system (email only)

 Simple dashboard

3.3 Security Measures

 Password hashing with bcrypt

 JWT for secure authentication

 Data encryption for sensitive information

 Regular backups

4. Reduced Development Roadmap

4.1 Phase 1: Planning & Setup (Weeks 1-2)

 [ ] Define exact requirements and feature set

 [ ] Create basic wireframes and user flows

 [ ] Set up development environment

 [ ] Create project repository

4.2 Phase 2: Core Development (Weeks 3-8)

 [ ] Set up database schema

 [ ] Create authentication system

 [ ] Build appointment management system

 [ ] Create basic patient records system

 [ ] Implement simple user interface

4.3 Phase 3: Testing & Refinement (Weeks 9-10)

 [ ] Test all core features

 [ ] Fix bugs and issues

 [ ] Improve UI/UX based on testing

 [ ] Add basic documentation

4.4 Phase 4: Deployment (Weeks 11-12)

 [ ] Prepare for deployment

 [ ] Deploy to free hosting services

 [ ] Set up basic monitoring

 [ ] Create user guide

5. Essential Features

5.1 User Authentication

 Simple login/registration system for staff

 Password reset functionality

 Role-based access (admin, dentist, secretary)

5.2 Appointment Management

 Basic calendar view (day, week, month)

 Appointment creation and editing

 Simple conflict detection

 Email reminders

5.3 Patient Records

 Basic patient information storage

  Medical history notes

 Treatment history

 Simple document uploads (images only)

5.4 Communication

 Email notifications for appointments

 Simple internal notes system

 Contact information storage

5.5 Dashboard

 Daily appointment overview

 Patient check-in/check-out tracking

 Simple stats (appointments per day)

6. Simplified Database Schema

6.1 Core Tables

6.1.1 Users

users

- id (PK)

- email

- password_hash

- role (admin, dentist, secretary)

- first_name

- last_name

- phone

- created_at

- updated_at

6.1.2 Patients

patients

- id (PK)

- first_name
- last_name

- email

- phone

- date_of_birth

- medical_notes

- created_at

- updated_at

6.1.3 Appointments

appointments

- id (PK)

- patient_id (FK)

- dentist_id (FK)

- title

- start_time

- end_time

- status

- notes

- created_at

- updated_at

6.1.4 Services

services

- id (PK)

- name

- duration

- created_at

- updated_at

6.1.5 Patient_Documents

patient_documents

- id (PK)
- patient_id (FK)

- file_name

- file_path

- uploaded_by

- created_at

6.1.6 Notes

notes

- id (PK)

- patient_id (FK)

- user_id (FK)

- content

- created_at

7. Basic API Structure

7.1 Authentication Endpoints

 POST /api/auth/login

 POST /api/auth/register

 POST /api/auth/reset-password

7.2 User Endpoints

 GET /api/users

 GET /api/users/:id

 PUT /api/users/:id

7.3 Patient Endpoints

 GET /api/patients

 GET /api/patients/:id

 POST /api/patients

 PUT /api/patients/:id

 GET /api/patients/:id/documents

 POST /api/patients/:id/documents
7.4 Appointment Endpoints

 GET /api/appointments

 GET /api/appointments/:id

 POST /api/appointments

 PUT /api/appointments/:id

 DELETE /api/appointments/:id

7.5 Services Endpoints

 GET /api/services

 POST /api/services

 PUT /api/services/:id

8. Testing Approach

8.1 Manual Testing

 Feature testing by developer

 User testing with sample data

 Browser compatibility testing

8.2 Basic Automated Testing

 Simple unit tests for critical functions

 API endpoint testing

8.3 Security Testing

 Authentication testing

 Data validation testing

 Input sanitization checks

9. Deployment Plan

9.1 Environment Setup

 Local development environment

 Production environment on free hosting platforms

9.2 Deployment Process

 1. Prepare frontend build

2. Set up database on production

3. Deploy backend to free hosting

4. Deploy frontend to Netlify

5. Connect frontend to backend

6. Run basic checks

7. Set up automatic backups

9.3 Data Migration

 Create simple import/export scripts

 Manual data migration assistance

10. Maintenance & Support

10.1 Maintenance Activities

 Weekly database backups

 Monthly check for dependency updates

 Bug fixes as needed

10.2 Support

 Basic documentation for users

 Email support for critical issues

 Simple troubleshooting guide

11. Risk Management

11.1 Identified Risks

Risk Mitigation Strategy

Development time
Focus on MVP features first
constraints

Technical limitations Use proven, well-documented technologies

Leverage free tier services and open-source

Limited resources
tools
Risk Mitigation Strategy

Follow security best practices, regular

Security concerns
backups

Create simple UI and provide basic training

User adoption
material

Open Source Tools & Libraries

Frontend

 React.js - Frontend framework

 Bootstrap - UI component library

 FullCalendar - Calendar component

 React Router - Navigation

 Axios - API requests

Backend

 Node.js - Runtime environment

 Express - Web framework

 SQLite/MySQL - Database

 Multer - File uploads

 Nodemailer - Email notifications

 JWT - Authentication

 Bcrypt - Password hashing

Development Tools

 Visual Studio Code - IDE

 Git - Version control

 Postman - API testing

 GitHub - Repository hosting

 Netlify - Frontend hosting

 Render/Railway - Backend hosting (free tier)

© 2025 MyDentAssist - All Rights Reserved