Practical Lessons in Endodontic Surgery

BOOK REVI EWS British point of view that sucrose is mainly responsible for caries. Remarkably, the author of this chapter fails to mention that all fermentable carbohydrates—cooked starches, milk and fruit sugars—can have a role in the caries process. Written from a British perspective, the book asserts that two-thirds of ingested sugars are contained in confectionery, and that cooked starches such as those in breads, cakes, cereals, chips and cookies are relatively safe for teeth. A number of recent peer-reviewed research articles on fermentable carbohydrates and their role in caries render this conclusion incorrect. To relegate fluoride to a cursory mention while overstating the role of diet amidst voluminous documentation in the reverse undermines the book’s credibility. The prevailing school of thought, which has been substantiated in both basic and clinical studies, is that caries is a multifactorial disease. There is little historical support for the concept offered in this book that children who live in industrialized nations and who are taught not to eat confections have fewer caries. Largely because of the authors’ cookbook approach, this book cannot be recommended to the general practitioner. The second chapter, for example, outlines various behavior management techniques and provides some good general suggestions, but it offers no information on how to handle and treat children whose behavior does not normally permit it. The content is too light on patient management and, conversely, too heavy on anesthesia and sedation as ways to achieve patient cooperation. Chapters on trauma and pulp therapy are well-illustrated and clear, but again lack depth and edification. In other words, clinicians who read this book will find it very helpful so long as they agree with and follow the step-by-step “recipes” put forth by the authors. However, should clinicians find themselves with a problem whose treatment is not specifically described in the book, they will find the book did not provide the background necessary for critical analysis, a situation clinicians face nearly every day when their goal is true individualized treatment. The book does have numerous, clear clinical pictures with captions. The diagrams are excellent and easy to understand, as is the index. Overall, “Paediatric Dentistry” reflects a great deal of work and care in its preparation, but ends up with a relatively shallow perspective that does not encompass innovative concepts or procedures. For example, only one paragraph is dedicated to the most common type of operative procedure done on posterior teeth, the placement of a stainless steel crown. U.S. readers, in particular, also may find themselves wondering why the authors did not concentrate on such basic problems as the number of over-retained primary teeth (which are visible in the photos and radiographs) and the all-too-common condition of early childhood caries. Oddly, they even gloss over the placement of sealants on susceptible surfaces of posterior teeth and the developing use of preventive resin restorations. This book, in too many important ways, misses both the forest and the trees. Reviewed by Stephen J. Moss, D.D.S., M.S., Professor Emeritus, New York University, New York PRACTICAL LESSONS IN ENDODONTIC SURGERY By Donald E. Arens, D.D.S., M.S., and Mahmoud Torabinejad, D.M.D., M.S.D., Ph.D., Carol Stream, Ill., Quintessence, 1998, 216 pages, $82, ISBN 0-86715-333-4 The title of this book is an accurate portrayal of its content. So often, the practitioner would like to review a procedure or find the answer to a specific question relating to a proposed treatment without having to search through pages of detail offered by standard texts. In this book, the authors present 42 lessons grouped into five subject categories that offer concise, yet essential, information supported with excellent illustrations (both drawings and clinical photos) that provide the reader with a clear understanding of each topic presented. If the reader desires more in-depth details of any facet of the procedure, he or she can consult one of the many excellent standard endodontic texts. In their first two sections, the authors present evaluations and considerations relating to examination and diagnosis and the preparation of the operatory, equipment and instruments, as well as the patient and the surgical team for surgery, all of which must pre- JADA, Vol. 130, March 1999 Copyright ©1998-2001 American Dental Association. All rights reserved. 337 BOOK REVI EWS cede the actual clinical procedure. In the busy practice, the surgeon’s knowledge and familiarity with the many services he or she provides may, at times, cause him or her to occasionally overlook an essential detail. The authors offer a convenient and comprehensive reference that the surgeon can review quickly to ensure that he or she has considered and implemented all of the essentials before beginning the surgery. The lessons included in the surgical techniques section are particularly well-done. The descriptions, along with excellent clinical photos and drawings, provide a clear, concise, easyto-understand description of the objectives, considerations, techniques, advantages and disadvantages for each of the procedures presented. These topics include flap design, incision, elevation, retraction, osteotomy, curettage, biopsy, apicoectomy (including palatal approach), retrograde procedures and microsurgery. The fourth group of lessons describes postsurgical care and how to manage such sequelae as pain, swelling and bleeding. The final six lessons describe the surgical management of difficult endodontic conditions, such as incision and drainage, perforation, root amputation, hemisection and radectomy, treatment of periodontically or endodontically involved teeth, atypical and exploratory surgery, and extraction and replantation. This is not a recipe book for the beginner. It is a well-organized volume that offers prac338 tical information, solutions to commonly encountered problems, advice and suggestions, and lists of instruments recommended for each procedure. This book would be a valuable asset to the office library for practitioners who provide surgical endodontic procedures for their patients. Reviewed by James Robert Jensen, D.D.S., M.S., Professor Emeritus, School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis BOOKS RECEIVED IN THE DEPARTM ENT OF LIBRARY SERVICES dAccess to Oral Health Services in the U.S., 1997 and Beyond, by R. Isman and B. Isman, Chicago, Oral Health America, 1997, 133 pages dAsian, African and Oceanian Dental Yearbook, Rome, Suvier S.R.L., 1998, 169 pages dThe Complete Denture: A Clinical Pathway, by M.I. MacEntee, Carol Stream, Ill., Quintessence, 1999, 126 pages, $56, ISBN 0867153504 dDental Anthropology: Fundamentals, Limits, and Prospects, edited by K.W. Alt, F.W. Rosing and M. TeschlerNicola, New York, Springer, 1998, 564 pages, $102, ISBN 3211829741 dThe Dental Practice Acquisition Report, New Canaan, Conn., Irving Levin Associates, 1998, 125 pages, $395 dDental Yearbook of the Americas, Rome, Suvier S.R.L., 1998, 237 pages dDentistry, From Dummy to Genius, by L.C. Turner, Mount Olive, N.C., Mount Olive College Press, 1998, 80 pages, $9.95, ISBN 1880994534 dEnvironmental Health, rev. ed., by D.W. Moeller, Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press, 1997, 480 pages, $58, ISBN 0674258592 dErgonomics and the Dental Care Worker, edited by D.C. Murphy, Washington, D.C., American Public Health Association, 1998, 546 pages, $68, ISBN 8755302330 dEsthetic Dentistry and Ceramic Restorations, by B. Touati, P. Miara and D. Nathanson, London, M. Dunitz, 1999, 330 pages, $199.95, ISBN 185317159X dEsthetics, Direct Adhesive Restorations on Fractured Anterior Teeth, by L.N. Baratieri, Carol Stream, Ill., Quintessence, 1998, 396 pages, $180, ISBN 8572880062 dEuropean Dental Yearbook, Rome, Italy, Suvier S.R.L., 1998, 242 pages dHandbook of Biomaterial Properties, edited by J. Black and G. Hastings, New York, Chapman & Hall, 1998, 590 pages, $225, ISBN 0412603306 dHow to Get Into the Right Dental School, by C.S. Rogers, Lincolnwood, Ill., VGM Career Horizons, 1999, 155 pages, $21.26, ISBN 0844264547 dThe Immediate Load Implant System: Esthetic Implant Dentistry for the 21st Century, by S. Lazarof, S. Hobo and H. Nowzari, Carol Stream, Ill., Quintessence, 1998, 136 pages, $79, ISBN 4874175872 dInternal Marketing for Your Dental Practice: A Step-byStep Guide, by American Dental Association, Council on Dental Practice, Chicago, American Dental Association, JADA, Vol. 130, March 1999 Copyright ©1998-2001 American Dental Association. All rights reserved.