Compliance guide
Ahpra-compliant dental marketing in Australia
Every ad, post, review request and web page for an Australian dental practice is regulated advertising under the National Law. Here is what the rules say, and exactly how 230fix builds them into each service we run.
Last reviewed September 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Who sets the rules
Several regulators overlap. Ahpra and the Dental Board set the profession-specific rules; general consumer, privacy and anti-spam law applies on top.
Ahpra & the Dental Board of Australia
Section 133 of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law and Ahpra’s Guidelines for advertising a regulated health service. They bind anyone who advertises a dental service, including practice owners and agencies.
Therapeutic Goods Administration
Prescription-only medicines, such as anti-wrinkle injectables some dentists provide, cannot be advertised to the public at all, including by product name or nickname.
ACCC
The Australian Consumer Law prohibits misleading or deceptive conduct, including pricing claims and “from” prices that don’t hold up.
OAIC
The Privacy Act 1988 and Australian Privacy Principles treat health information as sensitive. NSW, Victoria and the ACT also have their own health records laws.
ACMA
The Spam Act 2003 requires consent, clear sender identification and a working unsubscribe in every marketing email or text.
The five things section 133 prohibits
Advertising a regulated health service must not do any of the following. Breaches carry penalties of up to $60,000 per offence for an individual and $120,000 for a company, and Ahpra holds the practitioner responsible even when an agency created the ad.
Be false, misleading or deceptive
Includes implied claims and claims that are technically true but create the wrong impression.
In practice: no “best dentist”, “painless” or guaranteed results, and no specialist titles unless the dentist is a registered specialist, such as an orthodontist or periodontist.
Offer a gift, discount or inducement without its terms
Offers are allowed, but the conditions must be stated alongside them.
In practice: every offer, such as a new-patient check-up price, carries its terms and conditions on the same page or post.
Use testimonials about clinical aspects
Recommendations about a symptom, diagnosis, treatment or outcome are testimonials, even if genuine.
In practice: we never quote patient reviews about treatment or results in ads, on your website or on social media. Comments about non-clinical things, like friendly staff or easy parking, can be used.
Create an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment
Selective or idealised results mislead patients about what to expect.
In practice: before-and-after photos only with the same angle and lighting, no editing, and clear context about the treatment and that results vary.
Encourage indiscriminate or unnecessary use of health services
Pressure tactics and incentives that push people into treatment they may not need.
In practice: no countdown deadlines, “book now before it’s gone” campaigns, or bundles that reward extra treatment.
How 230fix builds this into each service
Compliance is part of how the work gets done, not a check at the end.
| Service | Where the risk is | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| Dental website | Every page is advertising: service descriptions, practitioner titles, pricing and galleries. | Content is checked against the guidelines before launch. Offers carry their terms, practitioner titles match registration, and galleries include the required context. |
| SEO & AI answers | Search copy drifts toward superlatives and implied specialist claims. | We target what patients search for, such as “dental implants Parramatta”, not claims like “best implant specialist”. Schema and AI-facing content stay factual. |
| Google Business Profile & reviews | Patients control their reviews, but reusing clinical ones is advertising. | We automate review requests (asking is fine; rewards are not), never republish clinical reviews on your site or ads, and write responses that never confirm treatment details. |
| Social media | Posts, reposts and comments on pages you control all count as your advertising. | Posts are drafted to the guidelines and approved by you. We moderate comments, remove clinical testimonials on your pages, and never name prescription-only products. |
| AI voice & chat | Health information is sensitive under the Privacy Act, and call recording rules differ by state. | The assistant collects only what is needed to book, announces recording at the start of each call, and passes clinical questions to your team. |
| Email & SMS | The Spam Act applies to every marketing message. | Reminders are kept separate from marketing, promotions only go to patients who opted in, and every message identifies your practice and includes an unsubscribe. |
Common questions
Not if they mention clinical aspects such as a treatment, an outcome or a practitioner’s skill; using them in your own advertising turns them into testimonials. Comments about non-clinical things like customer service can be used. Reviews patients leave on Google itself are not your advertising as long as you do not republish them.
Yes. Asking is allowed. What you cannot do is reward patients for reviews or reuse clinical reviews in your advertising.
Yes, with care. They must not be misleading: use the same angle and lighting, do not edit them, and give context such as the treatment involved and that results vary between patients.
You are. Ahpra treats the practitioner or practice as responsible for advertising about their services, even when an agency created it. That is why we build the guidelines into how we work rather than checking afterwards.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change and differ between states and provinces, and you remain responsible for advertising about your practice. Check your regulator’s current guidance, and speak to your professional indemnity insurer or a health lawyer about specific situations.
Official sources
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10 implant patients in 90 days. Or you don’t pay for our work.*
One implant practice per area. *We work 6 weeks free, then refund our fees; ad spend not refundable.
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