The incorporation of the ADA Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct into the Dental Practice Regulations of the Commonwealth of Virginia is an important step in the establishment of a foundation for recognizing ethical conduct and exposing unethical conduct by dental practitioners.  The ability of those who try to regulate proper ethics is difficult in the changing world of no-holds-barred marketing and patient overtreatment. It is the patient who suffers by virtue of the misinformation and fraudulent acts of the few unethical providers. Adoption of the ADA Code would provide a framework around which the Board can both build sound ethical guidelines and provide the appropriate steps for management and adjudication of unethical behavior.