Opinion ID: 747684
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The CDA's Advertising Policy

Text: 4 As a condition of membership, dentists agree to follow the CDA Code of Ethics, which provides that dentists may be disciplined for unprofessional conduct and violations of state law relating to the practice of dentistry. This case concerns the Code's ethical standards concerning advertising. The basic rule is set out in section 10 of the Code, which states, 5 Although any dentist may advertise, no dentist shall advertise or solicit patients in any form of communication in a manner that is false or misleading in any material respect. In order to properly serve the public, dentists should represent themselves in a manner that contributes to the esteem of the public. Dentists should not misrepresent their training and competence in any way that would be false or misleading in any material respect. 6 The CDA's Judicial Council, which is responsible for enforcing the Code, has released the following advisory opinions elaborating upon the ethical standard for advertising: 1 7 2. A statement or claim is false or misleading in any material respect when it: 8
9 b. is likely to mislead or deceive because in context it makes only a partial disclosure of relevant facts; 10 c. is intended or is likely to create false or unjustified expectations of favorable results and/or costs; 11 d. relates to fees for specific types of services without fully and specifically disclosing all variables and other relevant factors; 12 e. contains other representations or implications that in reasonable probability will cause an ordinarily prudent person to misunderstand or be deceived. 13 3. Any communication or advertisement which refers to the cost of dental services shall be exact, without omissions, and shall make each service clearly identifiable, without the use of such phrases as as low as, and up, lowest prices, or words or phrases of similar import. 14 4. Any advertisement which refers to the cost of dental services and uses words of comparison or relativity--for example, low fees--must be based on verifiable data substantiating the comparison or statement of relativity. The burden shall be on the dentist who advertises in such terms to establish the accuracy of the comparison or statement of relativity.8. Advertising claims as to the quality of services are not susceptible to measurement or verification; accordingly, such claims are likely to be false or misleading in any material respect. 15 The advisory opinions substantially mirror parts of the California Business and Professions Code. See Cal. Bus. & Prof.Code §§ 651, 1680. The CDA claims that its Code, as explained by the advisory opinions, is intended to ensure that dentists comply with these laws. 16 The CDA has also issued an additional set of advertising guidelines intended to help members comply with the Code of Ethics and state law. According to the section on discount advertising, state law requires dentists offering discounts to list all of the following in the advertisement: 17
18 2. Either the dollar amount of the discount fee or the percentage of the discount for the specific service; 19 3. The length of time that the discount will be offered; 4. Verifiable fees; and 20 5. Specific groups who qualify for the discount or any other terms and conditions or restrictions for qualifying for the discount. 21 According to the testimony of current and former CDA officials, the state Board of Dental Examiners generally does not pursue violations of state laws on advertising by dentists, and CDA has attempted to fill in the gap with its own enforcement efforts. 22 Both the CDA and its component societies enforce the CDA's advertising rules. Typically, components undertake the initial investigation into a member's advertising and, if possible, resolve the matter at the local level without CDA's involvement. Thus, if a component ethics committee concludes that a member's advertising is false or misleading in violation of the Code, it asks the member to discontinue or modify the advertisement. If the member does not agree or the component is unsure of how to apply the relevant standard under the Code, the case is referred to the CDA Judicial Council, which holds a hearing. If it finds a violation, and no settlement can be reached, the CDA can impose a range of penalties including censure, suspension and expulsion. 23 The CDA and its components also review the advertisements of applicants for membership. If the applicant does not agree to discontinue noncomplying advertisements, and the component intends to deny the application for that reason, it can refer the case to the CDA's Membership Application Review Subcommittee. After its own review, the subcommittee recommends to the component that it grant or deny membership. Applicants who are new dentists have sometimes been offered conditional admission under which they must agree to bring their advertisements into compliance within a year. Since 1990, some dentists have been admitted on condition that the component counsel them about their advertising and that the dentist agree to comply with its advice.