AHPRA rules for dentist and physio websites: Google reviews and ad claims
What a practice website can show from Google reviews, and which advertising claims the National Law allows, from the Ahpra guidelines as at November 2026.
On this page
An Australian dentist or physio can show comments from Google reviews on their website only if the comments say nothing about a symptom, a treatment or an outcome. The National Law bans testimonials in advertising a regulated health service, and the practice owner is responsible for what the site publishes. This page sets out what the Ahpra guidelines say, as at November 2026. It is general information, not legal advice, and the guidelines are the rules.
For how we build these sites, see web design for dentists and web design for physios.
What does the National Law say about testimonials and reviews?
Section 133 of the National Law bans testimonials or purported testimonials in advertising a regulated health service or a business that provides one. Ahpra defines a testimonial as a recommendation or positive statement about the clinical aspects of a service used in advertising, such as patient stories, patient experiences and success stories. The Ahpra testimonial tool works through the question for a given review.
A clinical aspect is any of the following:
- a symptom, meaning the specific symptom or the reason for seeking treatment
- a diagnosis or treatment, meaning the specific diagnosis or treatment the practitioner provided
- an outcome, meaning the specific outcome, or the skills or experience of the practitioner, directly or by comparison
What can a practice website show from reviews?
The table applies the Ahpra rule to the common places a review ends up. "Advertising" means the practice controls the content or can edit or remove it.
| Content | Allowed? | Why | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| A review comment about friendly reception or clear communication, no clinical detail | Yes | Not a testimonial. Comments on customer service or communication may be used | Ahpra testimonials |
| A review that says "my back pain is gone after three sessions" | No | It refers to a symptom, a treatment and an outcome | Ahpra testimonials |
| A patient story or success story, written by the practice or a patient | No | Named by Ahpra as examples of testimonials | Ahpra testimonials |
| A practice's own anecdote about a personal benefit from treatment | Risky | Ahpra says patient stories and anecdotes from the advertiser may create an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment | Ahpra advertising guidelines |
| Reviews on the clinic's Facebook page | No, if the page promotes the clinic | A social media page used to promote a service is advertising. The page owner is responsible and may need to disable the reviews function | Ahpra testimonials |
| Reviews left on Google, a directory or a booking site that you do not control | Not your responsibility | You do not have to remove reviews on a site you do not control | Ahpra testimonials |
| Replying to a review on a third-party site | Take care | Engaging with reviews on third-party sites may be considered using a testimonial | Ahpra testimonials |
| Content written by a marketing agency | Your responsibility | The advertiser is responsible, including for content produced by a third party or agency | Ahpra testimonials |
A rating or star badge on a website is also a risk to check. We did not find Ahpra guidance specific to star widgets, so the safe approach is to ask whether the displayed review content mentions clinical aspects, and to confirm the figure matches the live profile.
What advertising claims does the National Law allow?
The claims table below sets out the common ones for dentists and physios. Every row comes from the Ahpra advertising guidelines.
| Claim | Rule |
|---|---|
| "Free check-up", "10% off first visit" | Allowed if the advertisement states the terms and conditions in plain language, or points to where they are. Free means absolutely free. An offer funded through a higher price, or through Medicare, is not free |
| "Specialist", "orthodontist" or a college title | Only a practitioner with specialist registration in a recognised specialty, or an endorsement, may use the matching title. This includes the business name. Words such as "substantial experience in" or "working primarily in" are less likely to mislead |
| "Safe", "effective", "pain-free", "risk-free" | May breach the law if used without acknowledging possible adverse reactions or mixed evidence |
| "Guaranteed", "miracle", "sure cure" | Not allowed. Advertising must not suggest a treatment is infallible or guaranteed |
| "Don't delay", "limited time only" | May be unlawful where linked to unsubstantiated claims that health will suffer without the service, or where it encourages unnecessary use |
| Before and after photos | Less likely to mislead when matched for content, camera angle, background, framing, exposure, posture, clothing and lighting, with any editing explained |
| Regular recall appointments | Must not encourage attendance where there is no clinical indication |
| Higher risk non-surgical cosmetic procedures | Separate guidelines took effect on 2 September 2025. They apply to the practitioners they name, so check them if the clinic offers these procedures |
The maximum penalty per offence is $60,000 for an individual and $120,000 for a body corporate, according to Ahpra, and the increase applies in all jurisdictions from July 2024.
How do dentists and physios use titles correctly?
Use the title the registration allows and no more. For dentists, the specialist title for a recognised specialty is protected, and the Dental Board's guidelines cover the details. A college can award a further title in physiotherapy, and Ahpra's example is "Specialist Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist (as awarded by the Australian College of Physiotherapists in 2008)". Our SEO for dentists page covers how we handle the titles in profile and page names.
How do I check my own website against these rules?
- List the pages that show reviews, stories or ratings, including embedded widgets and the Facebook page.
- Read each comment for a symptom, a treatment or an outcome. Remove or stop displaying any that has one.
- Check every offer for stated terms and a true use of the word free.
- Check each title on the site and the Business Profile name against the practitioner's registration. The AHPRA registration check guide on Digital Pages shows how to look a practitioner up.
- Look for words such as best, safe, painless and guaranteed, and the urgency phrases above.
- Review any agency's output before it goes live, because the practice answers for it.
- Repeat after each change, because content and ads drift.
What we've seen across our client sites
We do not have a dental or physio client site we can report on, so we do not quote results for clinics here. The same drift shows up on our trade clients' sites: figures typed into a page stay put while the source moves on. A clinic site that shows a review count or a practitioner title should read it from a source of truth. The Google reviews post covers the review side outside health.
For the claims that involve health funds, HICAPS, Medicare and the NDIS, see what a clinic can say about health funds, HICAPS, Medicare and NDIS. Our website pages for dentists and physios cover the site build.
Common questions
- Can a dentist use Google reviews on their website under AHPRA rules?
- Only comments with no clinical aspect. The National Law bans testimonials in advertising a regulated health service, and Ahpra says a comment about a symptom, a treatment or an outcome is a testimonial. Comments about customer service or communication are not testimonials and may be used.
- Do the rules apply to a Facebook page or a Google review widget?
- Yes where the page promotes the clinic. Ahpra says a social media page used to promote a regulated health service is advertising and must not include testimonials. The owner of the page is responsible even if the platform makes removing a review hard, and may need to turn the reviews function off.
- Do I have to remove a bad or glowing review on Google?
- Not on a site you do not control. Ahpra says advertisers do not have to remove or try to remove a review on a website or social media over which they have no control. It warns that replying to reviews on third-party sites may be considered using a testimonial.
- Can a physio or dentist offer a free check-up or a discount in an ad?
- Yes, if the advertisement states the terms and conditions of the offer. The word free is read as absolutely free, so an offer that is paid for through a higher price elsewhere or through Medicare is not free.
- Can a general dentist call themselves a specialist or an orthodontist?
- No. Only a practitioner with specialist registration in a recognised specialty may use the specialist title, including in the business name. Using words that imply a specialty can also mislead.
- What is the penalty for breaching the advertising rules?
- Ahpra says the maximum penalty per offence is $60,000 for an individual and $120,000 for a body corporate. The increase applies in all jurisdictions from July 2024.
- Can a clinic website use before and after photos?
- With care. Ahpra says before and after images are less likely to be misleading when they match in content, angle, background, framing, exposure, posture and lighting, any editing is explained, and the treatment is the only visible change.
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