Sir, I am sure I am not the only reader to be exasperated by the editor's acceptance of the opinion piece Homeopathy and its ethical use in dentistry (BDJ 2011; 210: 299–301). I assume an opinion piece slips past the peer review process. This is no reason uncritically to accept arguments lacking in analytic rigour.

There are numerous unsubstantiated and selective claims in the piece. Unfortunately, its inclusion will permit future references by homeopaths to the BDJ as if the journal, and by connection the BDA, dental academics and clinicians, viewed homeopathy as having some clinical validity.

I remember being told, as a dental student, that to engage with such quackery simply allows it to benefit from the illusion of scientific debate. This is what we risk here.

On the positive side, however, I am always happy to be reminded of the tale of the homeopath who forgot to take his medicine and died of an overdose.