Book review

Barry KB, Berkovitz, GR Holland and Bernard J Moxham

480 pages

Advisory price: £69.99

ISBN-10: 0323935214

ISBN-13: 978-0323935210

Publisher: Elsevier

While this essential textbook will be very familiar to all of the dental team from our undergraduate training, the 6th edition has very significant revisions, with for example a new chapter on repair and regeneration of the oro-dental tissues. As is the case from previous editions the quality, diversity, and number of images is outstanding, and as highlighted by the authors, there are 70 new illustrations related to clinical cases. In my own case, having qualified over 30 years ago the significance of oral anatomy in daily practice became increasingly relevant as I embarked on more complex treatments such as osseo-integrated dental implants. Similarly in diagnosing pathology, a good idea of normal anatomy, and indeed dental anatomy, seem increasingly relevant to modern day-to-day practice.

There is not a specialty in dentistry or a registrant group who will not benefit from reading this wonderful text book. Whether it is an endodontist looking at dental anatomy and variations in canal anatomy, or an implantologist keen to understand maxillary sinus anatomy, it is all there. The anatomical sections, as you might expect, are incredible in their scope and attention to detail. The chapter on regenerative dentistry makes fascinating reading, particularly sections on organ engineering with the oral cavity described as ‘a treasure chest of stem cells’. All interests are covered, and as an enthusiastic Emdogain user, it is always useful to have an update on the science and developments relevant to clinical practice.