Dental Ethics & Regulation

Dental Marketing and At Home Dental Services: Statement of Ethics

How legal is cold targeting vulnerable groups of patients through false advertising promises?! The global position on the issue of Ethics of Advertisement by...

Dr. Rockson Samuel

Dr. Rockson Samuel

Founder & Chief Dentist · Indira Dental Clinic; DentalReach

3 min read79,681 views
  • professional education
  • dental marketing
  • false promises
  • advertising
  • vulnerable groups
  • dentistry
  • at home dental services
  • ethics
  • Dental Ethics & Regulation
  • Clinical & Academic Article

How legal is cold targeting vulnerable groups of patients through false advertising promises?!

The global position on the issue of Ethics of Advertisement by Dental/Medical professionals has drastically changed over the last few decades.Dental Surgeons are expected to exhibit integrity, honesty, fidelity and selfless service. Monetary commitments can only be secondary to the welfare of his patients. Neither is it allowed to provide at home dental services without a proper clinical set-up.

In this regard, the Dental Council Of India has recently issued a notice defining strict guidelines for all companies involved in aggressive dental marketing and doorstep dental services which is as follows:

1. The dental treatment shall be given to the patient by the registered dentists in his / her clinic / hospital.

2. The scanning of teeth of patients shall be performed by registered dentists only. Scanning of teeth performed by any non-dentist will be a gross violation of Dentists Act, 1948.

3. Registration of dentist must be mentioned / displayed or provided at all Web Portals of the company / clinic.

4. Dentists should provide highest quality of treatment for better outcome, providing/endorsing treatment with proper examination, tests, thorough diagnosis and treatment planning, with proper follow up for patient care.

5. Biomedical standard waste management / sterilization protocol shall be followed by all dentists.

6. Companies shall not project their aggressive advertisement campaigns, to lure common man for getting dental treatment.

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Topics

References

  1. [1]American Dental Association. Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct American Dental Association. 2025. Available at: source
  2. [2]FDI World Dental Federation. Dental Ethics Manual 2 FDI World Dental Federation. 2018. Available at: source

Written by

Dr. Rockson Samuel

Dr. Rockson Samuel

Founder & Chief Dentist · Indira Dental Clinic; DentalReach

Dr. Rockson Samuel is a dental surgeon, healthcare content strategist, and Founder and Chief Dentist of Indira Dental Clinic in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. He provides comprehensive general and family dental care with professional interests in endodontics, implant dentistry, clear aligner therapy, digital dentistry, preventive care and patient education. A graduate of K.G.F. College of Dental Sciences and Hospital under Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, he also has formal training in management and digital marketing. As Community Leader at DentalReach, he contributes to dental publishing, professional education, international media partnerships and the development of evidence-informed resources for dentists.

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