Sir, we are delighted one reader thought the new antimicrobial prescribing toolkit was 'excellent' (The toolkit blah, BDJ 2017; 222: 141). However, there did seem to be a few misconceptions, and I wanted to set the record straight.

Working in the NHS and facing the same decisions week in, week out I well understand the writer's frustrations. We do not set out to place any new obligations on this profession. Nor do we seek to fudge any of the issues around the UDA, and the constraints it has placed on our members' time.

The BDA will also never shy away from talk about funding, and that is why we are pursuing this vital issue on two fronts.

We want to help colleagues meet their professional obligations both to audit and to prescribe appropriately. That's why we have provided our members with this toolkit.

But we also believe they require funded emergency time. We've spoken personally to the CMO, to the CDO, to NICE, the DH and NHS England on this matter, and it's a message we will be taking directly to parliamentarians in a dedicated event this summer.

These are complimentary strategies. Commissioners are never going to recognise the need for funding without evidence. The users of our toolkit are already generating records on diagnosis and the treatment. The data colleagues have already pulled together will make a powerful case for funding.

1. Chair, British Dental Association