If you've heard that it's forbidden for dentists to inform about the cost of services or to advertise promotions, know that this is a very common question. In this post, we will explain to you what the law actually states, the Code of Ethics, and the recent decisions that changed this scenario.

Many people still believe that dentists cannot disclose prices of treatments or payment conditions, but we need to say that this information is not entirely correct.

The Federal Law No. 5,081, from 1966, which regulates Dentistry, indeed prohibits practices that characterize unfair competition or deceptive advertising. Article 7, for example, prohibits advertising prices in a way that signifies unfair competition.

What is the problem then?

The biggest problem is that for many years, this rule was interpreted by the Dentistry Councils so restrictively that any disclosure of costs was considered an ethical violation. See, if we go back to the previous paragraph, we note that the law does not prohibit disclosing prices in general.

In March 2025, CADE (Administrative Council for Economic Defense), which is the body that supervises competition in Brazil, analyzed this issue and decided that prohibiting the generic disclosure of prices and discounts violates the consumer's right to information and the free competition stipulated in the Constitution.

In Process No. 08700.000848/2023-44, CADE determined that the CFO and all CROs should immediately suspend any broad prohibition on the disclosure of values, making it clear that only proven cases of deceptive or unethical practices can be punished.

So, can the dentist disclose anything?

Not quite. What has changed is that the simple act of informing values is no longer prohibited. But there are still important limits:

• The information must be clear, true, and transparent;

• It cannot promise results that do not solely depend on the professional (“Guaranteed perfect smile!”);

• It cannot attack or disqualify other professionals;

• It cannot use “before and after” images without technical criteria and authorization.

  
  

The CFO itself published an official note confirming this change and clarifying that the simple disclosure of prices and discounts, made clearly and responsibly, does not constitute an ethical violation.

In other words, this means that today, dentists can inform the cost of their services and payment conditions, provided that this is done seriously, without promising guaranteed results, without disqualifying other professionals, and without sensationalism.

Moreover, the consumer has the right to know before hiring:

• How much they will pay;

• What is included in the price;

• What the payment methods are.

This right is guaranteed in the Consumer Defense Code (Law No. 8,078/1990).

At Pump, we help make everything more transparent, allowing people to check prices directly in the app, with information provided by the professionals themselves in a secure and respectful manner. This way, the consumer has more autonomy to choose and plan.

And you, are you aware of this?

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Official sources

• Federal Law No. 5,081/1966 – Practice of Dentistry

• Consumer Defense Code (Law No. 8,078/1990)

• CFO Resolution No. 118/2012 (Code of Ethics)

• CADE Process No. 08700.000848/2023-44

• Official note from CFO: https://website.cfo.org.br/em-cumprimento-a-decisao-do-cade-cfo-realiza-alteracoes-pontuais-no-codigo-de-etica