Oral and maxillofacial medicine: the basis of diagnosis and treatment (2nd edition)

  • C. Scully
UK: Elsevier price £44.99; pp 408 ISBN 9780443068188 | ISBN: 978-0-4430-6818-8

This second edition of Oral and maxillofacial medicine... aims to improve on the first by providing new clinical photos and material and expanding the further reading sources.

The book is laid out in six colour coded sections for ease of re-reference after the initial use. Section 1 deals with the fundamental principles of patient management and begins with the initial assessment and consultation of the patient where histories are taken and clinical examination begins. Investigations of a disease process are then discussed beginning with the more typical such as radiographs, blood tests and biopsy. The section then continues to enlighten the reader about the less well known investigation techniques and considers the advantages and disadvantages of their use. Finally, treatment is considered from methods of fluoride delivery to antiretroviral drugs and where applicable gives a brief summary of the pharmacokinetic modes of action. This prepares the reader for the next two sections which describe the common complaints and important pathological processes of the oral cavity. The subsections begin with key points that the user should use as an aid to memory when the condition presents.

Each lesion is comprehensively explained and summarised in boxes throughout each chapter. The pathological processes are further clarified using diagrams which allow the user to fully understand the cellular process manifested in the clinical photos. Algorithms aid the diagnostic process for the more inexperienced, with the typical presentations mapped out and suited ideally for viva voce examinations. The more advanced reader can gain from the text by learning further about the biochemical processes of selected conditions with important papers referenced at the end of each section. With the amount of advanced academic detail, it would be easy to forget about the most important factor in dentistry, the patient. However, this has not been overlooked and most subsections contain a pro forma 'patient information sheet' to enable the production or revision of ones currently used.

Section 4 considers HIV, iatrogenic disease and orofacial manifestations of specific systemic diseases. Sections 5 and 6 end the book with a dictionary of eponymous conditions and adverse drug reactions. Whilst I feel the final two chapters are more for the hospital based dentist, they nevertheless provide completeness and answer most of the questions the majority of dentists will have.

To summarise, I would recommend this book for the more senior student or general and hospital dental practitioner. The text is an excellent reference and gives addresses for websites that may be used as an aid to further research into the subject. It should be essential reading material for these groups and is likely be of use for many years to come.