ADA speaks out on dental tourism and misleading advertising

Australian Dental Association

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7 July 2026

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1 minute read

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Advocacy

The ADA has added its authoritative voice through ADA President Dr Chris Sanzaro to national media coverage on two key issues - complications from dental tourism and the use of "misleading" videos in advertising by an oral care company.

Dental tourism

Dentists in Australia are increasingly seeing older patients with complications arising from the work done overseas, with patients often not factoring in the costs of maintaining complex dental work.

ADA President Dr Chris Sanzaro says a new national oral health plan is overdue, and that despite considerable ADA advocacy on the issue, long-running calls for a scheme to fund care for vulnerable groups, including seniors, still haven't been answered by the government.

Watch, listen to and read the following media coverage:

Added Wednesday 8 July 2026

Misleading advertising

An investigation by ABC News Verify alleges that "Oral care giant Hismile has used "misleading" videos in social media advertisements showing a sales professional, and its own staff, spruiking products while dressed as health workers."

"It's significantly misleading," said Australian Dental Association (ADA) president Chris Sanzaro.

"People watching those ads are going to be misled by that, people looking like a health professional, purporting to be a health professional, but they're not actually registered as one at all.

"It's really banking on the trust that's been built up in the profession by years and years of education … and trying to claim some of that, when there's no basis for that claim, is hugely disappointing."

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