Sir, I write regarding Unethical aspects of homeopathic dentistry (BDJ 2010; 209: 493–496). We are surprised that such a respected dental research journal with a hard earned impact factor should lend its columns to a personal diatribe of no scientific content. We always considered the BDJ to be an academic research and reference platform for original work. Mr Shaw's non-dental article is clearly not of this calibre.

We wish to address some of the fallacious, inappropriate and unsubstantiated remarks made in this article in order to set the record straight.

Dental therapeutics form a very small part of dental treatment and should only be used when a mechanistic approach no longer suits the clinical situation. The British Dental Formulary reflects this in the small number of medicines available for dental prescription. The NHS Act does not set any limitations upon the number and variety of substances which the dental surgeon may administer to patients in the surgery or may order by private prescription (BNF 2010; 60: 6).

Homeopathic medicines are a valuable tool in the practitioner tool kit. They are not a cure all and should never be described as such. However, this therapeutic approach may be adopted when everything else has been addressed and found wanting. Very often a homeopathic prescription will assist the healing process when other interventions have not. A distinct though limited body of clinical research evidence supports the effectiveness of classical individualised homeopathy over and above placebo.1 There is a larger research evidence base to support the use of homotoxicological medicines as used in the EU, ie 106 studies relating to controlled human clinical trials, which have demonstrated that homeopathic medicines are superior to placebo.2

Homeopathically trained dentists are no different from any other kind of dentists – they are dentists in the first instance, homeopaths in the second. Homeopathic dental training in the UK is provided by the Faculty of Homeopathy with teaching centres at Glasgow, London and Bristol. A five year modular postgraduate course is available for those dentists wishing to extend their pharmaceutical knowledge.

Perhaps if Mr Shaw (an ethics lecturer not a practising dentist) would like to discuss with us the finer points of the appropriate uses of homeopathic medicine within dentistry, we would like to suggest he does this in person.