Practice Accounts, Reviews and Advertising

Dental nurses may be asked to support practice social media, update website content, manage patient testimonials, reply to reviews, or prepare oral health and promotional posts. Practice accounts are useful but must remain accurate, respectful, lawful, not misleading and aligned with GDC expectations.

Advertising guidance requires information about dental services to be legal, decent, honest and truthful. Dental nurses should not be asked to post misleading content, use patient images without valid consent, overstate likely outcomes, or respond to reviews in ways that reveal confidential information.

Practice media risks

• Before-and-after images without valid consent or appropriate context.
• Claims that guarantee results or understate risks.
• Discounts or offers with unclear terms.
• Staff replying defensively to online reviews.
• Patient testimonials that disclose treatment details.
• Unclear separation between personal views and official practice messaging.

Online reviews can prompt an immediate reply, but public responses must not confirm someone is a patient or disclose clinical details. A brief, respectful reply that invites private contact and refers the reviewer to the complaints route is safer.

Who should post for the practice?

A public review is not permission to reveal patient information. Professional replies should protect confidentiality and move the issue to the appropriate route.