Social media ethics for dentists: what the Dental Council writes, article by article

The French dentists' code of ethics mentions neither Instagram nor Facebook. This article quotes the relevant articles in full (in our English translation), with the link to Légifrance, the official French legal database, then says what no text actually states.

The three sources, and the exact weight of each

A dentist who wants to post faces three texts. They do not carry the same weight, and only one of them is law.

Two caveats. The word "charter" is no longer used: the recommendations state that they replace the charters previously published. And Decree No. 2020-1658 of December 22, 2020 rewrote only some of the articles: R.4127-206, R.4127-208 and R.4127-225 predate it. Several version dates of the recommendations are in circulation, so we quote them here without page references.

R.4127-215-1 I: free to communicate, within written limits

No article of the code prohibits a dental practice from being on a social network. Article R.4127-215-1 opens up communication in these terms:

"The dentist is free to communicate to the public, by any means, including on a website, information likely to contribute to the patient's free choice of practitioner, relating in particular to their skills and professional practices, their professional background and the conditions of their practice."

"By any means" excludes no medium, and no article names a social network. That is not an endorsement of any platform, though: the Dental Council regulates content, it does not approve any network. The same paragraph sets the limits, and they fit in five points:

• the communication is "fair and honest";
• it "does not use third-party testimonials";
• it "is not based on comparisons with other dentists or establishments";
• it "does not encourage unnecessary use of preventive care or treatment";
• it "does not undermine the dignity of the profession" and "does not mislead the public".

Section II of the same article allows sharing "scientifically supported" information for educational or health purposes, worded "with prudence and restraint". That is the basis for any prevention post. Section III adds that such communications take into account the recommendations of the national board: this is the sentence that gives the recommendations their real weight. Our article on titles, degrees and specialties on a dentist website details which titles and degrees can be displayed.

R.4127-217 II: priority placement, paid or not

Section II of this article, in the subsection on general duties, states:

"The dentist is prohibited from obtaining, for payment or by any other means, a digital listing that displays information about them with priority in the results of a search performed on the internet."

Two phrases matter. "By any other means": the ban does not only cover buying. The recommendations confirm this, stating that priority digital listing, paid or not, is equally prohibited. And "the results of a search performed on the internet": the recommendations tie this article to search engines and directories. It does not name social networks. Our article on the visibility levers that remain allowed goes through this line lever by lever.

R.4127-225: no advertising for a third party

One sentence of R.4127-225 is enough: "Any advertising benefiting a third party or an industrial or commercial company is also prohibited." It follows the obligation to avoid "any harm to the honor of the profession or its members".

The recommendations draw concrete consequences from it: do not promote a commercial company, do not communicate about its products, do not "link to the website of a commercial company", including through a scannable code in the waiting room. Issue 209 of La Lettre lists a visible brand of a product or medical device in a video among the breaches. The dentist's independence falls under R.4127-209.

In practice, this changes how you film: a recognizable toothpaste tube, a branded aligner box, a lab logo on a coat. Labels turned around, or out of frame. On a practice's channels, the only signature is the practice's own.

Advertorials fall under the same logic. Issue 196 of La Lettre states that "any advertorial is prohibited for dentists" and that "contracts with publishers or broadcasters are prohibited". Issue 226 comes back to it: "While the December 2020 decree did broaden dentists' communication options, it in no way opened the possibility of advertising." Two clarifications on this passage: the Dental Council names no service provider in it, and the medium in question was television.

R.4127-206 and R.4127-208: confidentiality, the hardest point on video

These are the two articles that decide what you can film at the practice. R.4127-206:

"Professional secrecy is binding on every dentist, except for exemptions provided by law. Secrecy covers everything that has come to the dentist's knowledge in the practice of their profession, that is, not only what has been confided to them, but also what they have seen, heard or understood."

R.4127-208 then requires dentists to "ensure the protection of clinical records, documents and computer media against any indiscretion". The national board's recommendations translate this for video: "As soon as a patient is filmed inside a dental practice, they must under no circumstances be identifiable. Their face must be blurred even if the patient wishes to give express permission to broadcast their image."

So the patient cannot release you from confidentiality. Their written consent does not make their face publishable. The recommendations also list as breaches posting X-rays, photographs or screenshots that allow a patient to be recognized, and replying to a named, identifiable review as part of online reputation management. A general reply, without confirming that the person is a patient of the practice, remains the prudent course.

What no text actually says

Knowing where the rule ends and where prudence begins is what lets you decide.

• Social networks are not named in the code. The recommendations refer to "social networks". Issue 196 of La Lettre names TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and Odysee; issue 209 names Instagram.
• Boosted posts, the ones you promote for payment, are not named in any text. R.4127-217 II only covers priority in search results. What exposes them is R.4127-215, "The dental profession must not be practiced as a business", the requirement for compatible media, the ban on advertorials and the warning in issue 226. The ban is inferred, not written in black and white. Our line is to abstain.
• Before-and-after photos are not named in the code. The recommendations use them as an example of risk, in the conditional: such photographs "would tend to suggest in patients' minds a certain positive result".
• Displaying a rating or stars is only prohibited at the level of the recommendations, not the code.
• No article of the code prohibits asking a patient for a review. What is prohibited is displaying testimonials and ratings in your communication.
• Nothing is written about posting frequency, hashtags, music or follower counts. No Dental Council rule applies to these points. Sticking to descriptive hashtags that serve the information is a prudent choice, not a reading of the text.

The seven checks before you post

Go through this list post by post. Each line cites the text it rests on.

1. No recognizable patient, whether by face, X-ray or screenshot (R.4127-206 and R.4127-208).
2. No patient testimonial, no resharing a patient's story, no review screenshot, no displayed rating (R.4127-215-1 I).
3. No comparison with a fellow dentist, a practice or a type of practice (R.4127-215-1 I).
4. No visible brand, no link to a commercial company (R.4127-225).
5. No encouragement toward unnecessary treatment, no discounts, no gifts, no giveaways (R.4127-215-1 I and R.4127-221).
6. Any prevention information is supported by evidence and worded with prudence and restraint (R.4127-215-1 II).
7. No staging that blends private and professional life (issue 196 of La Lettre), and no paid distribution, by inference.

These seven lines do not tell you what to post; they tell you what does not go out. Cadence, formats and publishable content are then a matter of editorial work: that is the subject of our page on social media for a dental practice, to read alongside our page on dental SEO. The same reading applied to your website is in our guide what the Dental Council allows on a dentist website.

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