Dental Clinic Websites in Türkiye: What the Health Promotion Regulation Allows

01The basic rule: no advertising, information is fine

Under Article 5 of the regulation, open or hidden advertising of health services is banned. Promotion and information are allowed if certain principles are followed. Only health professionals qualified in the subject may give the information.

Anyone who shares content against the rules on social media or websites is as responsible as the person who created it.

02What the site may include

• Specialty. The specialty written on your diploma registered with the Ministry of Health.
• CV. Training in that specialty, certificates registered with the ministry, scientific publications, academic awards and association memberships.
• Treatment information. Informative explanations of established treatments that are scientifically and clinically proven.
• Prevention. Information and images on keeping teeth and gums healthy.

03What the site may not include

• Prices, discounts, campaigns, promotions. None of these may appear in promotion or information.
• Patients' thanks. No advertising-style posts built on the thanks or satisfaction of patients or their relatives.
• Specialist titles based on certificates. Outside the specialties set by law, no specialist title may be used on the basis of a certificate or course.
• Unproven methods. You may not say you treat with methods that are not scientifically proven or not regulated by the ministry.
• Claims of superiority. No wording that puts your service above other providers or suggests a device or service is better than others.
• Brands and products. No promotion of companies, products or brands, and no links to them.
• Draws and gifts. Health services may not be part of incentives, draws, gifts or similar marketing.

04What the site must include

• Last update date. When the information on the site was last updated, stated clearly.
• Editor contact. Contact details for the site's editor, stated clearly.

The easiest way is to put both at the bottom of every page.

05Google and social media

• Listing is allowed, boosting is not. Health facilities and doctors may register with search engines and social media as long as it is not paid, sponsored or meant to push them up.
• One month at opening. In the first month after opening, health facilities may run sponsored promotion that follows the regulation.
• Keywords. The words used in search engines and the information on the results page must also follow the regulation.
• No unsolicited messages. No promotion by calling, texting or e-mailing people without their knowledge and consent.

06Before and after photos

Article 7 of the regulation deals with patient images separately:

1. The patient's explicit consent is obtained. The consent form in the regulation's annex can be used. The patient has the right to see the image first and to withdraw consent at any time.
2. No payment, discount or gift may be given in return for consent.
3. Before and after photos are taken in the same setting and with the same technique, and the dates of the procedure and the photos are shown.
4. Images may not be edited afterwards, and no misleading make-up may be used.
5. It is stated whether the image shows a real patient, or the source if it is taken from elsewhere.
6. Comments, likes and resharing are switched off, and posts may not be published for payment.
7. The image carries, easy to read, a sentence saying that results of any surgical or interventional procedure vary from person to person and that patients should get a detailed opinion from their doctor first.

07Health tourism

Facilities holding the ministry's international health tourism authorisation may run sponsored promotion in languages other than Turkish, through a separate site or social media account aimed at people abroad. The authorisation must be published on that site and the HealthTürkiye logo used. Patient reviews may be included with the patient's documented explicit consent. Creating demand among people living in Türkiye is not allowed. More on this in our page on health tourism clinics.

08What a clinic site can include under these rules

• Doctors' photos, diploma specialty, training and memberships.
• Plain, informative descriptions of the treatments you offer.
• Articles on keeping teeth and gums healthy.
• Address, map, opening hours, phone and contact for appointments.
• The last update date and editor contact at the bottom of every page.

Before you settle on the written content, also check the current statements of the Turkish Dental Association and your provincial health directorate.