Dental Website Checklist: What UK Practice Websites Must Show

A good dental website checklist starts with the regulatory basics: the practice name, address and contact details, a link to the GDC, your complaints procedure and the date the site was last updated, then each clinician's qualifications and GDC number, clear prices, accurate treatment claims, simple online booking, secure forms and an accessible, fast mobile design.

Dental websites have to compete for local searches while following professional rules from the General Dental Council (GDC), advertising rules enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), and data protection law for health data. Getting the basics right also makes the site clearer and more trustworthy for patients.

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The dental website checklist

What the GDC says your website must include

The GDC's guidance on advertising is short and specific. If you're responsible for a practice website, it says the site must display:

1. The name and geographic address where the dental service is provided.
2. Contact details, including an email address and telephone number.
3. The GDC's address and contact details, or a link to the GDC website.
4. Details of the practice's complaints procedure and who patients can contact if they're not satisfied. For NHS treatment that's the relevant NHS body, and for private treatment it's the Dental Complaints Service.
5. The date the website was last updated.

The guidance also says the site must be updated regularly to reflect current staff and services, and that practice advertising must make clear whether the practice is NHS (or equivalent), mixed or wholly private.

A footer on every page with the address, phone, email, GDC link, complaints link and a "last updated" date covers most of these.

Clinician details

Where a dental professional is named on the website as providing care, the GDC says the site must show their professional qualification, the country it was gained in and their GDC registration number. Information containing their name must also be current and accurate, use language patients understand, and avoid claims likely to create unjustified expectations about results.

For a team page, that means each profile should include:

• Full name and role (dentist, hygienist, therapist, dental nurse, orthodontic therapist).
• Qualification and country, for example "BDS (Birmingham, 2015)".
• GDC number, ideally as text rather than inside an image.
• Any specialist list registration, if it genuinely applies.

The guidance also says memberships, fellowships and honorary degrees shouldn't appear only as abbreviations that could mislead, and that the website mustn't compare the skills or qualifications of dental professionals with one another.

Specialist titles and "Dr"

The GDC is strict about titles. Only dentists on a GDC specialist list may describe themselves as a "specialist". Others must not use titles that imply specialist status, such as "orthodontist" or "periodontist", and mustn't say they're "specialising in" something, though "special interest in" is acceptable. Dental care professionals have no specialist lists, so titles like "smile specialist" are out.

On "Dr", the ASA's advice on use of the term Dr by dentists explains that dentists may use it as a courtesy title as long as it's clear that it is only a courtesy title and doesn't imply they're qualified to carry out medical procedures. Writing "Dr A Smith, Dentist" on the team page is a simple safeguard.

A note on changes at the GDC

The GDC's guidance on advertising dates from 2013, and the regulator is currently consulting on a proposed Framework for Professionalism to replace the Standards for the Dental Team, with the consultation listed as closing on 2 November 2026. Check the GDC website for the current position before any major redesign, and review your site again once new guidance is published.

Fees: patients shouldn't have to ask

Price transparency is one of the most common gaps on dental websites. The GDC's Standards for the Dental Team, standard 2.4, says you must give patients clear information about costs. Guidance point 2.4.2 says you must give clear information on prices in your practice literature and on your websites, and that "patients should not have to ask for this information."

What that looks like in practice:

• A fees page linked from the main navigation, not buried in a PDF.
• Basic items listed, such as a new patient consultation, a check-up, a hygienist appointment, a single-surface filling, an extraction and X-rays. Standard 2.4.1 lists similar items for the price list in reception.
• "From–to" ranges for treatments that vary, such as crowns, implants or aligners, with a note that a written, costed treatment plan follows the consultation.
• NHS charges, if you provide NHS care, with a link to the official NHS dental charges page for your nation so the figures stay current.
• Finance or membership plans explained clearly, including any representative APR and who the lender is. Consumer credit promotions are regulated by the FCA, so take care with the wording and check what your finance provider requires.
• Guarantees. Standard 2.4.3 says you should tell patients whether treatment is guaranteed, under what circumstances and for how long.

Keep the fees page in HTML text, so it's readable on phones, accessible to screen readers and visible to search engines.

CQC: rating display rules and what applies to dentists

In England, providers of regulated activities register with the Care Quality Commission. Under Regulation 20A of the Regulated Activities Regulations, providers with a CQC rating must display it conspicuously and legibly at each location and on their website, if they have one, with a link to the CQC's site. The CQC can take enforcement action, including prosecution, if a rating isn't displayed.

However, CQC says it doesn't give ratings to dentists. Dental inspection reports instead show whether a practice is meeting standards across the five key questions. So:

• A standalone dental practice usually has no CQC rating to display, but should make sure nothing on the site implies one. Don't use rating graphics or describe the practice as "CQC Outstanding" unless that's genuinely the case.
• A mixed clinic that also provides services the CQC does rate, such as some independent medical or GP services, must display the rating that applies, clearly linked to the right location or service.
• Practices in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are overseen by different bodies, so check the requirements of your own nation's regulator.

If you're unsure whether a rating applies, check your location page on the CQC website.

Treatment pages and advertising rules

Treatment pages are where most advertising problems happen.

• Prescription-only medicines. Botulinum toxin is a prescription-only medicine and can't be advertised to the public. The ASA's guidance on botulinum toxin products explains that clinic websites can only mention it in a balanced, factual way as a possible option following a consultation, and not on the homepage, in logos, testimonials or paid ads. It also warns that "anti-wrinkle injections" can be treated as an implied ad if that's the only kind you offer.
• Before and after photos. Use genuine, unedited images of your own patients with written consent, and don't present an exceptional result as typical.
• Claims. Avoid "pain-free", "permanent" or "best in the city" unless you can prove them. The GDC says claims should be backed up by facts.
• Reviews. Show genuine reviews only, and don't select or edit them to mislead. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 brought fake and concealed incentivised reviews under UK consumer protection law.

Online booking that works

Online booking reduces phone pressure on reception, but only if it's simple.

• Put a "Book an appointment" button in the header of every page.
• Say clearly whether new patients can book online, and whether NHS appointments are available. Under current arrangements, NHS practices in England are expected to keep their NHS website profile up to date, including whether they're accepting new patients.
• Show the deposit and cancellation policy before payment.
• Make sure confirmation and reminder emails arrive. If your practice management or booking system sends as your domain, add its SPF and DKIM records and check them with the free email deliverability checker.

Protecting patient data

Health information is special category data under UK GDPR, so treat forms with care.

• HTTPS everywhere with a valid certificate. Check yours with the SSL checker.
• Keep forms minimal. A contact form should ask for a name, contact details and a short message, not a medical history.
• Use your practice system's secure forms for medical history and consent, rather than ordinary email or a generic form plugin.
• A clear privacy notice explaining what you collect, why, who you share it with and how long you keep it. The ICO's guidance is the reference.
• Cookie consent for any analytics or advertising tags before they load.

Accessibility

Many patients are older, anxious or have sight, hearing or cognitive impairments. The Equality Act 2010 requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, and an accessible website is part of that. The WCAG 2.2 AA standard is a sensible target.

Common fixes on dental sites:

• Good colour contrast, especially for text over photos.
• Alt text on images that convey information.
• Booking widgets and forms that work with a keyboard and screen reader.
• Clear headings and plain-English explanations of treatments.
• Access information: step-free entry, parking, hearing loops and how to request adjustments.

Our UK website accessibility checklist goes through the checks in detail.

Speed, photos and local search

Most patients find a dentist on a phone, through a local search. A few technical basics make a big difference:

• Compress photos. Practice and team photos are often several megabytes. Resize and convert them with the free image compressor.
• One page per main treatment, with a clear title such as "Dental implants in Leeds".
• Consistent name, address and phone across the site, your Google Business Profile and directories. The NAP consistency checker finds pages on your site where they don't match.
• Structured data. Schema.org has a Dentist type. Build it with real details in our local business schema generator and check it with the schema markup validator.

The UK local SEO guide covers Business Profile and reviews in more detail.

Keeping it up to date

The GDC asks for a "last updated" date, and patients notice stale sites. A simple routine:

1. When someone joins or leaves: update the team page the same week.
2. When fees change: update the fees page and check every page that mentions a price.
3. Quarterly: check every clinician's GDC registration, test booking, and review treatment pages for claims.
4. Annually: review the privacy notice, accessibility and complaints page.

Our page of free tools for dental and medical clinics brings these checks together. And if reception is buried in reminders, recalls and paperwork, Make It Flow builds automations for dental practices where clinicians and practice managers stay in charge of clinical and patient decisions.

FAQ

What must a dental practice website include?

GDC guidance says the website must show the practice name, geographic address, email and phone number, the GDC's contact details or a link to its website, the complaints procedure and who to contact if unhappy, and the date the site was last updated. Clinicians named on the site need their qualification, country of qualification and GDC number.

Do dentists have to show prices on their website?

Yes. GDC Standard 2.4.2 says practices must give clear information on prices in practice literature and on websites, and that patients shouldn't have to ask for it. List basic items such as consultations, check-ups, fillings and X-rays, use from–to ranges for variable treatments, and explain that a written, costed treatment plan follows.

Do dental practices have to display a CQC rating?

CQC says it doesn't give ratings to dentists, so most standalone practices have no rating to display. Providers that do hold a CQC rating must show it on their website and premises under Regulation 20A. Don't use rating badges or claims that suggest a rating you don't have.

Can a dentist call themselves "Dr" on their website?

Yes, as a courtesy title, as long as it's clear that's what it is and the dentist doesn't imply a medical qualification they don't hold. The ASA has upheld complaints where the title wasn't qualified. Writing "Dr Jane Smith, Dentist" or adding a short note on the team page avoids confusion.

Can a dental website advertise botox?

Botulinum toxin is a prescription-only medicine, so it can't be advertised to the public. ASA guidance allows a balanced, factual mention on a clinic website as a possible option after consultation, but not on the homepage, in logos, testimonials or paid ads. Promote the consultation rather than the product.

Does a dental website need to be accessible?

The Equality Act 2010 requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, and that extends to how patients find information and book. Aim for WCAG 2.2 AA: good contrast, readable text, alt text, keyboard-friendly forms and clear access information for the practice itself.