System Overview

OrthoFlow is a web application for managing orthodontic clinic workflows. It is designed for use by administrators, orthodontists, dental surgeons, nurses, reception staff, and students.

What the System Does

The system helps the clinic manage:

• user accounts and roles
• patient registration and patient profiles
• patient assignment to orthodontists, dental surgeons, and students
• visits and appointments
• live clinic queue status
• dental chart entries and dental chart PDF versions
• uploaded patient documents and images
• diagnosis notes and treatment plans
• payment records
• materials used per patient
• materials and inventory stock
• student case management
• reports and analytics
• audit logs for system activity

Main Parts

Frontend

The frontend is the web interface used in the browser. It is built with React and Vite and lives in:

codes/Frontend

Users interact with patients, visits, documents, charts, reports, and settings through this frontend.

Backend

The backend is the API server. It handles login, permissions, database access, file uploads, email sending, audit logs, and PDF generation. It is built with Node.js and Express and lives in:

codes/Backend

MySQL Database

The database stores structured system data such as users, patients, visits, dental chart records, payment records, inventory records, student cases, and audit logs.

File Storage

Uploaded documents and images are stored in Cloudflare R2 or another S3-compatible object storage service. The database stores metadata about each file, but the actual file content is stored in object storage.

Email Provider

The backend sends system emails using SMTP. SMTP2GO and Brevo are both supported through environment variables.

Important Production Note

The backend should be deployed with Docker in production. Dental chart PDF generation depends on Playwright/Chromium, and the Docker image includes the needed browser dependencies.