Sir, in over 40 years as a dentist I have never felt the urge to respond to a letter from a colleague printed in the BDJ. That is until reading the letter by P. Mc Crory (BDJ 2012; 212: 103) on antibiotic prescribing in primary care.

Dr Mc Crory suggests that before dentists in a primary care setting prescribe antibiotics to a patient they should first telephone an appointed service specialist to discuss the case and, if both clinicians agree, a code to validate the signature on the prescription would be issued by the support service. If mutual agreement could not be reached then a third clinician's opinion would be sought. All this to take place when one is confronted with a patient with pericoronitis who has been fitted in between a ten o'clock extraction and a ten fifteen filling appointment.

Of course if this were to apply to GDPs, it would have to apply to GPs as well or dentists would be seen as being insufficiently qualified to prescribe without prior permission.

I don't know what world Dr Mc Crory lives in but it's not one I recognise.

1. Esher