Oral Care Brand Hismile Under Fire for 'Significantly Misleading' Social Media Ads

Leading oral care brand, Hismile, is facing intense scrutiny over allegations of using 'significantly misleading' advertisements on social media. The claims involve individuals appearing to be health professionals promoting products, with some ad clips showing apparent signs of artificial intelligence (AI) manipulation.

The Australian Dental Association (ADA) has voiced strong concerns, with its president, Chris Sanzaro, describing the advertising tactics as 'significantly misleading'. Dr. Sanzaro highlighted the potential for consumers to be deceived by individuals posing as registered health professionals.

Impersonating Health Professionals Raises Ethical Alarm

One prominent advertisement featured a woman in the branded scrubs of a Brisbane dental practice, complete with dental loupes, a magnification tool commonly used by dentists. The ad showed her appearing to perform dental work on a patient and examining items under a microscope. Despite these visuals, the individual is reportedly a sales professional and managing partner of the practice, not a qualified dentist.

Inquiries made to the clinic involved in the ad revealed they 'did not approve the alteration or manipulation of the relevant imagery'. The clinic has since requested the immediate removal of the content and clarification from Hismile.

Dental experts point out visual inconsistencies, such as warped dental loupes, a hand ring switching hands, and an unnatural skin sheen, as indicators of AI generation in these segments. Dr. Sanzaro emphasized the gravity of these portrayals, stating, 'People watching those ads are going to be misled... 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.'

Further ads also showed Hismile staff, including a 'philanthropy and partnerships coordinator' from a Gold Coast dental clinic, dressed in scrubs and gloves, sometimes in what appeared to be a real treatment room. While some ads contained small-text disclaimers, such as 'this is not a dental professional this is a member of staff', these disclaimers were often tiny or partially obscured by social media platform overlays, making them easy for consumers to miss.

Unsubstantiated Health Claims and Banned Practitioner Footage

Another advertisement promoting a Hismile product featured an individual declaring, 'Teeth can heal,' and claiming that decayed teeth 'have the ability to heal themselves'. This clip appears to feature an individual who has been permanently prohibited by a state authority from providing any health services, due to posing a risk to public safety.

The ad also included AI-generated videos depicting decayed teeth rapidly healing after a liquid substance was applied, accompanied by a disclaimer stating, 'visual depicted is a dramatisation for entertainment purposes only'.

Dental professionals have strongly refuted the simplistic notion that 'teeth can heal' without professional intervention. Dr. Matt Hopcraft from the Melbourne Dental School, alongside Dr. Sanzaro, stressed that while teeth possess some healing capacity, this is limited. 'Usually, the point in time when people know that they've got tooth decay is when they have pain or when they can see it and there's a hole in the tooth,' Dr. Hopcraft explained. 'By that stage, it's too late, the tooth can't heal itself from there.'

Hismile stated that 'all statements within any content are factual and educational in nature' but did not directly address questions regarding the use of the prohibited individual in their advertising.

A Pattern of Consumer Watchdog Intervention

These latest allegations follow recent enforcement action by the consumer watchdog. Just weeks prior, Hismile paid substantial penalties after infringement notices were issued for separate alleged false and misleading representations in its social media advertising. Those previous penalties related to ads where Hismile employees posed as 'random shoppers' trying products and expressing satisfaction, further highlighting a pattern of deceptive marketing practices.

The ongoing concerns underscore the critical importance of transparent and truthful advertising, particularly in the health and wellness sector, to protect consumer trust and public safety.