AHPRA Guidelines for Dental Websites (2026)
9 min read
By Webstallion Co
Disclaimer: This guide summarises AHPRA's advertising guidelines as they apply to dental websites. It is not legal advice. Always refer to AHPRA's official advertising guidelines at ahpra.gov.au for current requirements.
Your dental website is advertising. Not in the colloquial sense — in the legal sense that AHPRA uses when deciding whether your online presence complies with its guidelines. Your homepage, your service pages, your blog posts, and any patient reviews you display are all advertising under AHPRA's definition. That means the Advertising Guidelines for Registered Health Practitioners apply to every word on your site.
Most dentists know this in a general sense. What they often don't know is what it means in practice — which specific design choices are non-compliant, which are fine, and how to build a website that converts new patients without triggering a complaint. That's what this guide covers.
This is written from the perspective of a Sydney studio that builds dental web design in Sydney — not from an AHPRA-affiliated body. We've built AHPRA-compliant dental sites and the compliance decisions we make during the build process are informed by exactly this kind of research. Where we're uncertain, we say so.
What changed in September 2025
AHPRA updated its advertising guidelines in September 2025. The update did not overhaul the framework — the core prohibitions have been in place since 2014 — but it clarified and tightened three specific areas that are directly relevant to dental websites:
Testimonials and reviews — stricter application
The updated guidelines make it clearer that the testimonial prohibition applies to any medium — including digital widgets that pull reviews from third-party platforms onto a practice website. The guidance leaves less room for the argument that an embedded Google review widget is "not really" a testimonial because it originates on Google's platform.
Before-and-after photos — clearer educational distinction
The 2025 update provides more explicit guidance on when before-and-after imagery is used for educational purposes versus advertising purposes. For a general dental practice website, the advertising context almost always applies. The educational exception is intended for peer education and clinical training materials — not for a services page aimed at attracting new patients.
Unverifiable superlatives — stronger enforcement signal
AHPRA has signalled clearer intent to act on claims like "Sydney's best dentist", "leading dental practice", or "award-winning" where the claimed award cannot be independently verified. The update reinforces that these are not just discouraged — they are non-compliant if they cannot be objectively substantiated.
The 5 AHPRA rules most commonly violated on dental websites
In our experience building and reviewing dental websites in Australia, the same five issues come up repeatedly. Each one has a clear fix.
Rule 1 — No patient testimonials (including embedded Google reviews)
This is the most commonly misunderstood rule, and the one most likely to affect a dental website built in the last few years. Google reviews on Google's platform are not regulated by AHPRA. Patients can leave them. You can respond to them. The problem starts when those reviews are displayed on your own website.
The moment a review from a patient appears on your website — whether via a widget, a copy-paste quote, a screenshot, or a carousel — it has become a testimonial in advertising. And AHPRA's guidelines prohibit testimonials that refer to the quality of a regulated health service.
The fix: Remove any review widgets or patient quote sections from your website. Keep your Google Business Profile active and encourage reviews there — that's where they belong. On your website, replace the trust section with credentials, qualifications, and factual descriptions of your practice.
Rule 2 — No before-and-after photos (outside educational contexts)
Before-and-after photos are a standard feature of cosmetic dental websites — and one of the highest-risk compliance areas. AHPRA prohibits their use in advertising because the comparison format by definition represents one patient's outcome, which cannot be guaranteed for another patient and can therefore create unrealistic expectations.
The educational exception is narrow. It applies to peer education, clinical case reporting, and patient information in a clinical context — not to a gallery of smile transformations on a services page. If you are uncertain whether your use qualifies, treat it as non-compliant and remove it.
The fix: Remove before-and-after photo galleries from your public website. Use general clinical photography instead — images of your practice, your team, and your equipment convey professionalism without the compliance risk.
Rule 3 — No unverifiable superlatives ("best dentist", "leading practice")
Claims like "Sydney's best dentist", "the leading dental practice in the Hills District", or "top-rated family dentist" are non-compliant unless they can be objectively substantiated. In practice, they cannot be — because there is no agreed metric for "best" or "leading" that is applied consistently across all dental practices.
This also applies to award claims. If you have won a verifiable award — one with a transparent assessment process, a named awarding body, and a dated citation — you can reference it. Vague references to being "award-winning" without those specifics do not comply.
The fix: Replace superlative claims with specific, verifiable credentials. "Dr Smith has 18 years of general and cosmetic dental experience" is compliant. "Dr Smith is one of Sydney's most trusted dentists" is not.
Rule 4 — No guaranteed outcomes ("your smile will look amazing")
AHPRA requires advertising to represent services accurately and without creating unrealistic expectations. Copy that implies a guaranteed result — "walk out smiling", "we'll give you the smile you've always wanted", "your teeth will look brand new" — falls into this category.
This applies to both body copy and headlines. It also applies to video testimonials where patients describe outcomes in superlative terms — which is a compounded issue, because video testimonials are also testimonials under AHPRA's definition.
The fix: Write copy that describes the service accurately without promising a specific outcome. "We offer Invisalign treatment for adults and teens" is compliant. "Invisalign will give you a straighter smile in months" is not — at least not without appropriate caveats about individual results varying.
Rule 5 — Pricing must be accurate and clearly prefaced
Advertising a price is permitted — but the price must be accurate, and if it represents the minimum cost of a variable service, it must be clearly described as a starting price. Listing "Teeth Whitening — $299" when some or most patients will pay more is misleading advertising.
This is particularly relevant for services pages, where practices often list "from" prices without making the "from" aspect clear, or where quoted prices exclude consultation fees or required additional treatments.
The fix: Review every price on your website. If the actual patient cost can vary, use "from $X" language and consider adding a line explaining that a consultation is required for an accurate quote. If you cannot keep a price current, remove it rather than leave outdated pricing visible.
How to make your dental website AHPRA compliant
A compliance audit of a dental website follows a logical sequence. Work through these five steps in order.
Audit every page for testimonials
Open every page on your website — including the homepage, service pages, and about page. Look for embedded review widgets, patient quote blocks, star rating displays, and any copy that attributes a statement to a named or unnamed patient. Remove all of it. Replace the trust section with factual information: team qualifications, years of experience, location, accreditations.
Replace superlative claims with credentials
Search your site copy for "best", "leading", "top", "award-winning", "trusted", and similar terms. For each one, ask: can this be objectively verified? If not, replace it with a specific, factual statement. Your practitioners' qualifications, postgraduate training, years of practice, and memberships in professional associations are all AHPRA-compliant trust signals.
Review all before-and-after photography
Identify any before-and-after image pairs anywhere on the site. This includes galleries, case study sections, and service pages. Unless you have specific AHPRA-approved documentation supporting their use in an educational context, remove them. Replace with non-comparative clinical photography that shows your work environment and team rather than patient outcomes.
Check pricing pages for accuracy
Review every price listed on the site. Confirm it is either the fixed price patients will pay, or clearly prefaced as "from" pricing. Check that the fee listed has not changed since the page was last updated — outdated pricing is advertising a service at a price that is no longer accurate. If you cannot maintain current pricing, remove the pricing section and invite patients to call for a quote.
Add an AHPRA compliance note to your footer
Add a short disclosure to your site footer referencing your AHPRA registration number and stating that your practice advertises in accordance with AHPRA's advertising guidelines. This is not a legal shield — a complaint can still be made — but it signals to regulators that you are aware of your obligations. It also sets a tone for your web presence as a whole.
What an AHPRA-compliant trust section actually looks like
The most common objection we hear when dentists learn about the testimonial rule is: "But if I can't show reviews on my website, how do I build trust?" It's a fair question — and it has a direct answer.
Trust built on credentials, experience, and specificity converts just as well as trust built on testimonials — and it does so without the compliance risk. In our Serene Family Dental case study, we structured the entire trust section around factual signals rather than patient testimonials. That included:
- Years of combined clinical experience for the principal dentist and team
- Specific postgraduate qualifications (not just "highly qualified" — the actual degree names)
- Membership in professional associations (Australian Dental Association and others)
- Location and community context — the practice's connection to Ropes Crossing and the broader Hills District
- Team photography showing real staff — not stock images
The result was an AHPRA-compliant trust section that still performed well as a conversion element — because patients choosing a dentist respond to genuine expertise and community connection, not just star ratings. The Google reviews were still available one click away on the Google Business Profile, where AHPRA has no jurisdiction.
The key shift in mindset
AHPRA compliance isn't about removing trust signals — it's about replacing unverifiable social proof with verifiable professional signals. The two are not equivalent in the eyes of the regulator, but they are often equivalent (or better) in the eyes of a patient choosing a dentist for the first time.
For a deeper look at what makes a high-performing dental website in Australia — including the structural decisions beyond compliance — see our dental website design guide for Australia.
And for the related question of how your Google Business Profile for dental practices fits into this picture — the short answer is that GBP is where patient reviews live under AHPRA compliance, and a well-managed GBP becomes your social proof platform by design.
Related guides
Param · Founder, Webstallion Co
Param builds hand-coded websites for Australian dental practices and allied health providers. Every Webstallion dental build is reviewed against AHPRA's advertising guidelines before launch — including testimonials, imagery, and copy claims. He built the Serene Family Dental website and has reviewed AHPRA compliance across multiple dental client projects. These same guidelines apply to all registered health practitioners — see our allied health website design guide for how we handle AHPRA compliance across physio, psychology, OT, and other disciplines.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
No — not by embedding them on your website. Google reviews on Google's own platform are fine and AHPRA does not regulate them there. But if you pull those reviews onto your dental website — via a widget, copy-paste quote, or any other method — they become advertising under AHPRA's definition. AHPRA's guidelines prohibit testimonials that refer to the quality of a regulated health service. This is one of the most commonly misunderstood rules in dental website design. Keep reviews on your Google Business Profile, and link to it from your site if you want to make them accessible to patients.
Generally no — not on a standard dental practice website. AHPRA's guidelines prohibit the use of before-and-after images in advertising because they can create unrealistic expectations about patient outcomes. The exception is for educational or clinical content, but this requires specific consent documentation and is not intended for general practice websites aimed at attracting new patients. When in doubt, remove before-and-after photos from your public website and check AHPRA's current guidance directly at ahpra.gov.au.
AHPRA defines a testimonial as any statement — written or verbal — from a current or former patient (or a person associated with a patient) about the quality of a regulated health service. This is broader than most practitioners realise. It includes: quotes from patients on your website, star ratings with patient names, embedded Google or Facebook review widgets, video testimonials, and case study write-ups where a patient describes their experience. It does not include factual descriptions of a service written by the practice itself.
AHPRA can investigate advertising complaints and issue formal warnings, compliance notices, or refer matters to the relevant dental board. In serious or repeated cases, a practitioner's registration can be suspended or cancelled. Most cases resolve at the warning or compliance notice stage — but the investigation process itself is time-consuming and stressful. The practical risk is not just formal action: a complaint can trigger a review of your entire advertising footprint, including your social media and Google Business Profile posts.
Yes. AHPRA's advertising guidelines apply to all advertising of regulated health services, regardless of platform or medium. This includes your website, Google Business Profile posts, Facebook and Instagram posts, YouTube videos, and any paid digital advertising. If you are a registered dental practitioner and you post anything that could be considered advertising — which AHPRA defines broadly as any communication designed to attract patients — the guidelines apply. The same rules around testimonials, before-and-after images, and superlative claims all apply on social media as on your website.
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