On 3 October 2018, the Dental Board of Australia provided an update on the AHPRA Advertising compliance and enforcement strategy. Dental practitioners need to be aware of the following.
Declaration during registration
When renewing registration in November, practitioners will be required to make a declaration in response to the following statement:
I confirm that if I advertise my services or my business as a dental practitioner that advertising complies with section 133 of the National Law and the Board’s advertising guidelines as it:
- is not false, misleading or deceptive or likely to be misleading or deceptive
- does not offer a gift, discount or other inducement without stating the terms and conditions of the offer
- does not use testimonials or purported testimonials about the service or business
- does not create an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment, and
- does not directly or indirectly encourage the indiscriminate or unnecessary use of my services.
Advertising compliance audits
- AHPRA’s Advertising Compliance Team will also be conducting an audit of dental practitioners, to assess advertising compliance. This audit will commence in January 2018, and will apply to a random sample of dental practitioners.
- If practitioners do not address compliance breaches, following an audit, AHPRA may take further action.
- AHPRA have provided numerous resources in addition to the AHPRA Guidelines for advertising regulated health services (see links below).
- ADA NSW Advisory Services can assist you if you have any questions about advertising compliance.
Contact Information
Please contact the Peer Advisors in Advisory Services if any of the following apply to you.
- You receive a letter from AHPRA relating to your Advertising;
- You have any questions about the audit process; or
- You wish to receive any more information about Advertising.
ADA NSW Advisory Services can be contacted at advisory@adansw.com.au or 02 8436 9944.
Useful Links
- www.dentalboard.gov.au/News/Newsletters/October-2018.aspx
- www.ahpra.gov.au/Publications/Advertising-resources.aspx
- www.ahpra.gov.au/Publications/Advertising-resources/Legislation-guidelines/Summary-of-advertising-obligations.aspx
- www.adansw.com.au/Members/Advisory-Services
