Short answer: the GDC's guidance on advertising says a dental practice website must show the practice's name and address, contact details, the GDC's contact details or a link to its website, your complaints procedure and who patients can contact if they're unhappy, and the date the site was last updated. Every dental professional named on the site needs their qualification, the country it came from and their GDC number. You also need to say whether you're NHS, mixed or private, and avoid "specialist" wording unless you're on a GDC specialist list.
Most practice websites get some of this right and miss the rest, usually because the site was built by someone who didn't know the rules. The good news is that a compliant website and a website that wins patients want the same thing: clear, honest information that makes a nervous patient feel safe booking.
The GDC's rules and a patient's questions overlap almost completely. Who are you, are you qualified, what happens if something goes wrong?
What the GDC says your website must include
From the GDC's guidance on advertising:
- The name and geographic address of the practice
- Contact details, including an email address and telephone number
- The GDC's address and contact details, or a link to the GDC website
- Your complaints procedure, and who patients can contact if they're not satisfied, including the Dental Complaints Service for private treatment
- The date the website was last updated
- For every dental professional named: their qualification, the country it was gained in, and their GDC registration number
- Whether the practice is NHS, mixed or wholly private
Wording to be careful with
- "Specialist". Only dentists on a GDC specialist list can call themselves a specialist or use titles such as orthodontist or endodontist. Others can say they have a special interest in, are experienced in, or limit their practice to a treatment.
- Comparisons. Your site mustn't compare the skills or qualifications of one dental professional with another's.
- Results. Claims need to be backed by facts and mustn't create unjustified expectations. Marketing should make clear that treatment depends on assessment and may not suit everyone.
- Abbreviated memberships. Strings of letters after names can mislead. Spell out what matters.
The "Dr" title
Most dentists use "Dr", and most patients expect it. In advertising terms, though, it's a courtesy title, and the rules treat it that way. The ASA and CAP's advice is that a dentist who uses "Dr" should be on the GDC register and make clear that it's a courtesy title and that they don't hold a general medical qualification. The ASA has ruled against dentists who used the title without saying so.
The fix takes one line. Put it on your team page and anywhere a profile uses the title, for example: "Dr is a courtesy title. Our dentists are registered with the General Dental Council and do not hold a medical degree."
Source: ASA and CAP advice on dentists using the term "Dr" (March 2020).
Instagram, TikTok and Groupon count too
The GDC's guidance doesn't stop at your website. It names social media and marketing sites, including Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X and Groupon. Any promotion of a treatment needs to make clear that it may not be suitable for every patient and depends on a satisfactory assessment first. Before any treatment, you still need to assess the patient, take a medical history, explain the options and get consent.
In practice that means a standard line on every treatment post, offer and voucher, not just on the website. "Subject to a consultation and assessment. Not suitable for everyone." is short enough to fit under a reel.
Keep it current, and say when you did
Two requirements catch practices out more than any other. The guidance asks for content that's updated regularly so it reflects your current team and services, and for the date the site was last updated to be shown. A dentist who left two years ago, still smiling from the team page, is a compliance problem as well as an awkward phone call.
The simplest fix is to put a "last updated" date in the footer of every page and change it whenever the team or treatments change. If your site is built so that only a developer can edit the team page, that's worth fixing too.
Reviews and testimonials
The GDC's advertising guidance doesn't cover reviews directly, but consumer law does. Since 6 April 2025, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act has banned fake reviews and reviews presented in a misleading way, such as quietly hiding the negative ones. Show real reviews with a name and date, link to where they came from, and resist the urge to tidy up a patient's wording. We cover the detail in how to get more Google reviews.
A 15-minute check for your practice website
Open your site on a phone and work through this. Anything you can't tick is a quick job for whoever looks after the site.
| Where | What to check |
|---|---|
| Footer, every page | Practice name and full address, phone and email, a link to the GDC, and the date the site was last updated |
| Team page | For each person: qualification, the country it was gained in, and GDC number. A courtesy line if anyone uses "Dr". Memberships spelled out, not abbreviated. Nobody who's left |
| Treatment pages | No "specialist" wording unless that dentist is on a GDC specialist list. "Subject to assessment, not suitable for everyone." No result claims you can't back with facts |
| Complaints | Your complaints procedure, who patients can contact if they're unhappy, and the Dental Complaints Service for private treatment |
| Fees or About page | Whether you're NHS, mixed or wholly private, said plainly |
| Social and offers | The same rules as the website, on every post, voucher and deal |
What wins private patients
Compliance is the floor, not the ceiling. Private patients choosing a new dentist want to know what a treatment involves, roughly what it costs, who'll be doing it and what other patients say. Practices that hide prices behind "contact us" lose the patients who were ready to book. We've written about how patients choose a private dentist and why "contact us for pricing" costs you patients.
- A page for each treatment you want more of, written for patients, not peers
- "From" prices or clear ranges for private treatments
- Real team profiles with photos, qualifications and GDC numbers
- Reviews shown properly, and an easy way to book
This is a summary of the GDC's published guidance as we read it, not legal or regulatory advice. Check the current guidance on the GDC website.
We build websites for private dental practices with treatment pages, practitioner profiles and the GDC requirements built in, every word written for you.
