Marketing a business is part of the modern day philosophy for all types of industry. However, in dentistry, paying a third party to refer you patients is not only unethical but very dangerous. By paying an individual or a group for a referral, the individual is walking down a slippery slope of unethical behavior. This clearly shows that the Dentist does not have the best interest of the patient at hand. Hence, the Dentist will try to sell the patient unwanted treatment or better yet, sell treatment that is not needed for the sake of the almighty dollar. Our profession deserves better and needs to stand up to the unprincipled Dentists. This change in the regulation does two things; it will help ensure that the Board is protecting the public from injury and ensure ethical behavior in our profession. The Board should consider adopting the ADA code of ethics as a model behavior for all Dentists in Virginia. The Board of Dentistry’s sworn obligation is to protect the public from harm. By allowing fee splitting to occur in the Commonwealth, the patient is held hostage to the highest bidder and possibly an incompetent Dentist. Fee splitting encourages fraudulent behavior and I know the Board will act appropriately on the petition.