Ahpra Advertising Guidelines for Dental Marketing

Ahpra's rules for dental advertising come from section 133 of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law and the advertising guidelines in force since 14 December 2020. No testimonials about treatment, terms stated for every offer, nothing false or misleading, no unreasonable expectations and nothing that encourages unnecessary treatment. Fines reach $60,000 per offence for an individual.

This guide applies those rules to dental marketing: websites, Google Ads, social media, reviews and images. We checked it against ahpra.gov.au and dentalboard.gov.au on 1 October 2026. It is general information, not legal advice, and Ahpra does not pre-approve advertising, so check borderline material against Ahpra's own guidelines and tools and get independent advice where you need it. If you want your marketing run inside these rules, that is what our dental marketing service does.

What does section 133 of the National Law prohibit?

Section 133(1) says a person must not advertise a regulated health service, or a business that provides one, in a way that:

• is false, misleading or deceptive, or is likely to be misleading or deceptive;
• offers a gift, discount or other inducement to attract a person to use the service or the business, unless the advertisement also states the terms and conditions of the offer;
• uses testimonials or purported testimonials about the service or business;
• creates an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment; or
• directly or indirectly encourages the indiscriminate or unnecessary use of regulated health services.

The maximum penalty is $60,000 per offence for an individual and $120,000 for a body corporate. Ahpra says the penalties were increased in 2022 and have applied in every jurisdiction, including Western Australia, since July 2024. Unlawful use of a protected title can bring the same fines and, for an individual, up to three years' imprisonment.

Who is responsible for a dental ad?

Whoever controls it. Ahpra's guidelines apply to anyone who advertises a regulated health service, whether they are a registered practitioner, an unregistered person or a company, so a practice owned by someone who is not a dentist is covered. The guidelines define the advertiser as the person or entity who controls part or all of the advertising, including by directing a staff member, a third party or a marketing agency to draft or publish it, and they say advertisers need to check content produced on their behalf.

In practice the practice owns the compliance, whoever drafts the copy. Keep a record of who approved each ad and page and when it ran. Neither Ahpra nor the National Boards will give an opinion on an ad or check it before publication.

Can dentists use testimonials?

Not about treatment. Ahpra reads a testimonial as a recommendation or positive statement about the clinical aspects of a regulated health service, used in advertising. A clinical aspect is present when a comment mentions the symptom or reason for seeking treatment, the diagnosis or treatment provided, or the outcome, which includes the practitioner's skill or experience. Comments about customer service or communication that do not touch on clinical aspects are not testimonials.

What is an example of a testimonial?

'Dr Lee fixed my toothache in one visit' is a testimonial, because it names a symptom and an outcome. 'Friendly front desk and plenty of parking' is not. The table applies Ahpra's definition to typical dental reviews; Ahpra's testimonial tool walks through the same test.

Source: Ahpra, Guidelines for advertising a regulated health service (December 2020), section 4.3, and Ahpra's testimonial guidance. Examples written by Profit Geeks. Checked 1 October 2026.

Where reviews appear, and who is responsible

• Your website: whoever controls the site is responsible for any review it publishes or republishes.
• Your business social media: the same. Not every platform lets you edit or remove reviews, and Ahpra notes that disabling the reviews function is one way to comply.
• Booking sites and review platforms that advertise health services: whoever controls the platform's reviews function is responsible for it, while you remain responsible for any other content you control there.
• Platforms you do not control: Ahpra says advertisers are not responsible for removing, or trying to have removed, testimonials published there, but warns that engaging with reviews on third-party sites may be treated as using a testimonial to advertise.

Can a dental practice ask patients for reviews?

Ahpra's guidelines do not address asking for reviews, but Google's review policy does. It bars selectively soliciting positive reviews, offering incentives for reviews, asking for specific content and pressuring people to post while they are on the premises, and it allows businesses to encourage genuine reviews without incentives. So ask every patient the same way, without suggesting what to write, and keep reviews about treatment off your own site.

When you reply to a review, keep it general and leave out anything about the person's care. Ahpra's social media guidance reminds practitioners that their confidentiality and privacy obligations apply online as they do in the surgery.

Specialist titles: orthodontist, paediatric dentist and 'specialises in'

The Dental Board recognises 13 dental specialties, and their titles are protected. The Board's list says a person must not knowingly or recklessly take or use a listed specialist title unless they are registered in that specialty. The titles include orthodontist, endodontist, periodontist, prosthodontist, oral surgeon, oral and maxillofacial surgeon, and paediatric dentist, along with paedodontist and specialist in paediatric dentistry.

Ahpra goes further for wording that stops short of a title. It treats 'specialist', 'specialises in', 'specialty' and 'specialised' as implying specialist registration, and likely to mislead if the dentist does not hold it, and it suggests phrases such as 'substantial experience in' or 'working primarily in'. A registered specialist should keep 'specialist' to the specialty they are registered in. The recent protection of the title 'surgeon' applies only to medical practitioners; Ahpra says it does not change the rules for dental specialists or for dentists using the title 'dental surgeon'.

Sources: Dental Board of Australia, list of recognised specialties, related specialist titles and definitions (effective 1 October 2017); Ahpra, Titles in health advertising. Examples written by Profit Geeks. Checked 1 October 2026.

Can dentists use before-and-after photos?

Yes, with care. Ahpra's general guidelines treat before-and-after images cautiously because they can create unreasonable expectations of a good outcome, and say they are less likely to mislead when:

• the images are as similar as possible in content, camera angle, background, framing and exposure;
• posture, clothing and make-up are consistent;
• lighting and contrast are consistent;
• any alteration is explained; and
• the treatment is the only visible change.

Images that are not genuine, or that have been edited or enhanced, may breach the National Law. Veneers carry stricter rules again, set out next.

Veneers and the non-surgical cosmetic guidelines

Since 2 September 2025, the Guidelines for advertising higher risk non-surgical cosmetic procedures have applied to anyone advertising those procedures when performed by registered practitioners, dentists included. Dental veneers are named as an example of a higher risk procedure, alongside cosmetic injectables such as botulinum toxin and dermal fillers. For veneer advertising, that adds:

• Registration details. If an ad names a practitioner as performing the procedure, it must show their registration details, including the registration number. The guidelines' example: 'Dr G (DEN000456789) Registered dentist, general registration'.
• Images. Genuine photos of patients who had the procedure with that practitioner; the 'before' or a combined image shown first; matching conditions; no filters, retouching or other editing; the time since treatment stated; and a prominent warning that the outcome shown is only relevant for that patient and does not necessarily reflect the results other patients may experience.
• Young people. No images of anyone under 18, no advertising targeted at under-18s, and social media advertising identified as adult content.
• Consent. Separate, documented consent to use a patient's images, which the patient can withdraw at any time.
• Language and presentation. No trivialising terms such as 'artist', 'sculptor', 'master', 'world's best' or 'world renowned'; no emojis on images, lifestyle shots or captured emotional reactions; and no captions such as 'perfect', 'instant' or 'more natural'.
• Risk and recovery. Information about risks that is easy to find, through a link where the ad has no room, realistic recovery information, and no 'gentle', 'simple', 'safe', 'quick' or 'easy' without clear information about risks.
• No competitions or prizes, no apps or tools that predict how someone will look after treatment, and no claims of psychological or social benefit, such as boosting confidence, unless acceptable evidence supports them.
• Influencers. Practitioners who work with influencers, ambassadors or content creators are responsible for the advertising content they publish.

Cosmetic injectables are prescription-only medicines, and the guidelines say advertising involving them must also meet Therapeutic Goods Administration requirements. Google's healthcare policy adds that ads targeting Australia can't use prescription drug terms in the ad or its destination, which matters for any practice that offers anti-wrinkle treatments.

Offers, discounts and 'free' check-ups

Any gift, discount or other inducement must come with its terms and conditions, in plain language. Ahpra notes that the public generally reads 'free' as absolutely free, so an offer recouped through a price rise elsewhere, or through Medicare, is not free. Advertising may breach the National Law when it:

• gives price information that is unclear, inexact or vague;
• offers a free appointment but raises the price of the first one to cover it;
• leaves out restrictions such as age, expiry date, location or eligibility; or
• states an instalment amount without the total cost.

Where an ad has no room for the terms, such as a Google search ad, it should direct people to them, for example with a link to the section of your website that sets them out, and the terms must be easy to find.

Urgency, recalls and 'limited time' offers

Advertising must not directly or indirectly encourage unnecessary use of health services. Ahpra lists phrases such as 'don't delay', 'act now before it's too late', 'don't miss out', 'time is running out' and 'for a limited time only' as potentially unlawful where they are linked to unsupported claims that someone's health will suffer. It also flags encouraging regular appointments where there is no clinical indication, and prizes or incentives that would draw people in regardless of clinical need. For recall marketing, the safe course is a reminder based on the interval the dentist set for that patient, rather than a blanket push.

Dental ad lines, checked against the rules

These examples show how the rules above play out in real ad copy. They are illustrations, not a complete list.

Examples written by Profit Geeks, applying section 133 of the National Law and Ahpra's 2020 and 2025 guidelines. General information only. Checked 1 October 2026.

Do Ahpra's rules apply to social media and influencers?

Yes. The National Law and the advertising guidelines apply to advertising on social media as they do anywhere else, and Ahpra's social media guidance reminds practitioners to meet their confidentiality, privacy and professional obligations online. Reviews on your business pages are your responsibility, and for higher risk cosmetic procedures such as veneers, so is content published by influencers or ambassadors you work with.

What happens if someone reports your advertising to Ahpra?

Usually a letter first. Ahpra takes a risk-based approach: it reviews the advertising, identifies the advertiser and assesses the risk, including any history of non-compliance. According to Ahpra, most cases start with a letter telling the advertiser the advertising breaches the National Law and requiring it to be corrected within 30 days. If an advertiser does not comply, enforcement escalates: for registered practitioners that can mean conditions on registration, and for other advertisers, prosecution. Very serious breaches that placed the public at significant risk may be prosecuted even if the advertising is corrected, and Ahpra works with the ACCC and the TGA where other laws are involved.

A pre-launch checklist for dental ads and pages

1. No patient comments about symptoms, treatment or outcomes on the website, in ads or on business social pages.
2. Every offer shows its terms, or links straight to them.
3. No protected title or 'specialist' wording for a dentist without specialist registration.
4. No 'pain-free', 'risk-free' or 'perfect', and no urgency tied to health.
5. Before-and-after images matched, unedited and explained, with the 2025 rules applied to veneers.
6. Registration details shown wherever a veneer ad names the practitioner.
7. No under-18s in cosmetic imagery or targeting.
8. A record of who approved each ad and page, and when it ran.

Run it on every new page and campaign. Our pages on dental Google Ads and SEO for dentists show how we build these checks into the work.

This guide is general information, checked against ahpra.gov.au and dentalboard.gov.au on 1 October 2026, and not legal advice. The rules change, so check Ahpra's advertising hub before relying on any detail. To have a senior operator run your ads and pages inside these rules, see our dental marketing service or book a free profit audit.