The Irish position
The Dental Council of Ireland publishes a code of practice covering public relations and communications, which applies to a practice website in the same way it applies to any other advertising.
A testimonial must come from a real patient of the practice, and must describe treatment that patient actually received. A generic five-star quote with no relationship to the practice does not qualify — and neither does a review sourced from a stock library or written on the patient's behalf.
The Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland's code applies on top of the Dental Council's rules. Claims must be capable of substantiation, which for a testimonial means being able to show the patient exists and the treatment happened.
Before and after photographs
Before/after imagery is permitted but carries its own condition: it must be clear where the patient was not treated at the advertising practice. Stock imagery presented as your own results is the failure mode.
Practically, that means keeping records — consent for use, the date, and which clinician performed the treatment. If you cannot produce that, do not publish the image.
Where UK guidance misleads Irish practices
Most dental marketing content online is written for the UK, where testimonials are prohibited outright by the GDC and CAP Code. Irish practices reading that guidance often conclude they cannot use testimonials at all, and remove one of their strongest conversion elements unnecessarily.
The reverse mistake is more dangerous: a UK practice, or an Irish practice marketing into the UK, applying the more permissive Irish reading and breaching the CAP Code.
What to do instead when you cannot use one
Where a testimonial is not available or not permitted, aggregate Google review data is usually stronger anyway — it is verifiable, third-party, and carries a visible count and date.
Review recency now outweighs total volume in local ranking, so a live review feed does double duty: it satisfies the trust need on the page and feeds the signal that moves you up the map pack.
Questions
Can I use a Google review as a testimonial on my dental website?
A Google review from a genuine patient describing treatment they received at your practice meets the same test as any other testimonial. Displaying reviews with their source, date and author visible is generally the safer presentation because it is verifiable.
Do the rules apply to social media as well as my website?
Yes. The Dental Council's communications code and the ASAI code apply to advertising in any medium, including social posts, paid ads and printed material — not only to your website.
What happens if a practice breaches the code?
The Dental Council can act on complaints about a registered dentist's advertising, and the ASAI can require an advertisement to be withdrawn or amended. Confirm the current process directly with the Dental Council.