Ahpra social media guidance for dental practices: what it says and how to apply it

By Carolyn S Dean, Founder and CEO, Trilbii AI

A dental practice’s Facebook and Instagram pages sit somewhere between marketing and conversation. They carry promotional posts, answer patient questions, show the team at work and collect comments that the practice did not write. Ahpra’s guidance, Social media: how to meet your obligations under the National Law, explains how the existing rules apply to all of it.

This guide summarises what the guidance says, then applies it to the situations a dental practice deals with every week.

The short answer

There is no separate rulebook for social media. Ahpra’s guidance says the National Law, each National Board’s Code of conduct and the advertising guidelines apply online in the same way they apply in person. For a dental practice that means a promotional page is advertising and must avoid testimonials and unsupported claims, patient information and images need written and informed consent, conversations about care move to a private channel, and team members’ personal accounts still reflect on their registration.

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What Ahpra’s social media guidance says

The guidance applies to all registered health practitioners, including dentists, dental specialists, dental hygienists, dental therapists, oral health therapists and dental prosthetists. It defines social media broadly, covering social and professional networks, forums, media sharing, blogs, wikis and booking apps. It groups practitioners’ obligations into five areas:

Area	What it means online
Confidentiality and privacy	Protect patient information, including details that could identify someone when combined
Professional obligations	Follow your Board’s Code of conduct online as well as in person
Professional boundaries	Keep online contact with patients appropriate
Respectful communication	Communicate professionally and courteously, including about colleagues and patients
Accuracy	Avoid false, misleading or deceptive content, and make advertising claims only where acceptable evidence supports them

The guidance also notes that practitioners have freedom of expression, including advocacy, and will not be investigated simply for holding or expressing a view. Regulatory action may be considered where online conduct risks public safety, gives false or misleading information, breaches privacy or confidentiality, or undermines public confidence in the profession. Ahpra’s page was last reviewed in March 2025 and includes case studies for each area.

How it applies to a dental practice

The practice page is advertising

A page that promotes a regulated health service is advertising under section 133 of the National Law. Ahpra’s testimonial guidance says such a page must not include testimonials, and the practice is responsible for reviews on its own page, which may mean turning off a review function it cannot moderate. Posts, captions, stories and paid ads all need to meet the Guidelines for advertising a regulated health service. Our guide on whether a dentist can use Google reviews in advertising explains the testimonial test.

Claims need evidence

One of Ahpra’s case studies describes a practitioner whose website claimed a treatment was “proven” safe and effective. After a complaint, the practitioner changed the wording. The guidance notes that unsubstantiated claims on social media can breach section 133. Ahpra’s page on acceptable evidence in health advertising explains what supports a claim. Words such as “painless”, “permanent” or “the best” are worth checking before a post goes up.

Patient photos and stories need written consent

Section 3.3 of the shared Code of conduct, which the Dental Board of Australia applies to dental practitioners, says practitioners should not share or post a person’s information or images, even when the person is not named, without written and informed consent. Ahpra’s case studies include a selfie taken in front of an X-ray where the patient’s name could be read. Check the background of every team photo for screens, charts, appointment books and paperwork. The OAIC’s guidance on taking photos of patients covers the privacy side.

Before and after images carry extra requirements under the advertising guidelines and, for cosmetic procedures, Ahpra’s guidelines for advertising higher risk non-surgical cosmetic procedures. Our plain language guide to the advertising guidelines covers images in more detail.

Comments and messages about care move to a private channel

The guidance gives the example of a nurse who replied to a friend’s post, thinking it was private, and disclosed details of a patient’s recovery. It also says grievances with patients are best resolved privately. When a patient comments or messages about their treatment, reply briefly and invite them to call the practice, without confirming any detail of their care in public. Our guide to responding to dental reviews includes example wording.

Team members’ personal accounts still count

The guidance points out that leaving your profession off a profile does not make you anonymous, because anyone can check the public register. Social media use in a practitioner’s private life may be considered if it raises concerns about fitness to practise. It also includes a case study of a physiotherapist who posted resentful comments about colleagues after resigning. A short conversation with the team about personal accounts, privacy settings and posting about work is a sensible part of onboarding.

Boundaries with patients

Section 4.9 of the shared Code of conduct covers professional boundaries, and the guidance includes a case study of a practitioner whose online contact with a patient crossed them. A simple practice rule helps: patient conversations happen through the practice’s official channels, not practitioners’ personal accounts.

AI written posts follow the same rules

Content drafted with AI is still the practice’s advertising. Ahpra’s guidance on meeting your professional obligations when using AI in healthcare says practitioners remain responsible for what they use it to produce. Keep patient information out of general AI tools and have a person who knows the practice review every post before it is published.

A practice social media policy checklist

Name who can post, who approves posts and who responds to comments and messages.
Review every post against the advertising guidelines before it is published, with extra care for claims, prices, offers and images.
Collect written and informed consent before posting any patient’s image or story, and record it.
Check photo backgrounds for patient information.
Turn off review functions on practice pages if they cannot be moderated for testimonials.
Move any conversation about a patient’s care to a private channel.
Agree how the team uses personal accounts in relation to work and patients.
Set rules for AI drafted content, including what information can be entered and who reviews the output.
Review the policy periodically, and whenever Ahpra updates its guidance.

In Trilbii: create social posts and blogs in your practice’s tone of voice, schedule posts to Facebook and Instagram, and screen them with the AHPRA Advertising Checker, which flags content that may need attention with an explanation for your review. See Social Media Writer.

Once Trilbii is connected to Facebook and Instagram, we really don’t need to go back in. We just push stuff out.

Practice owner, QLD

Ahpra and the National Boards do not advise on whether specific content complies. Your professional association, indemnity insurer or a legal adviser can help with particular cases.

Where Trilbii fits

Trilbii’s Social Media Writer creates posts tailored to your practice, and its AHPRA advertising checks screen posts against its AHPRA advertising framework and practice guardrails. Anything that may need attention is flagged with an explanation for the team to review before it is published. Human review stays part of the process.

To see it working for your practice, book a personalised demo.

Founding practice offer: for the first 20 practices, Trilbii is $497 per month + GST for as long as you remain continuously subscribed, with the onboarding fee waived and no lock in contract.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. The guidance applies to all registered practitioners, and a page that promotes a dental practice is advertising, so the advertising guidelines and the Code of conduct apply to its posts, comments and reviews.

Only with the patient’s written and informed consent. Section 3.3 of the shared Code of conduct says practitioners should not post a person’s information or images, even unnamed, without it. Before and after images also need to meet the advertising guidelines.

The practice is responsible for testimonials on its own social media pages. If reviews refer to clinical aspects of care and cannot be removed, Ahpra’s testimonial guidance suggests the practice may need to turn the review function off.

It applies to registered practitioners, including in their private lives where their use of social media raises concerns about fitness to practise. Not naming your profession online does not make you anonymous, because registration is publicly searchable.

Yes, provided no patient information goes into the tool and every post is reviewed by a person before it is published. The practice remains responsible for the content under the advertising guidelines.