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Oral Medicine: Colour aids in dentistry
J. Dent. 1989;17:
99
99-100
Book Reviews Section
Editor: P. N. Hirschmann
Oral Medicine: Colour Aids in Dentistry. C. Scully and R. A. Cawson. Pp. 156. 1988. Churchill Livingstone. Softback, f9.95.
Edinburgh,
This is the second in this publishers dental series of Colour Aids, adding to Cawson’s earlier ‘Oral Pathology’. The book is in a 5-by-7-inch format with 172 high-quality colour pictures presented on each right-hand page; the left-hand page contains the text in note-format for each condition. It is entering an already crowded market-place: there are at least seven other similar books (Scully is partauthor of one) and is in direct competition with the Pocket Picture-Guide by Lamey and Lewis. Its main difference from the others is in describing diseases by site. Aimed at undergraduates, postgraduates and practitioners, it can only ever help the latter by the ‘picture matching’ approach. Undergraduates and postgraduates may find this useful for revision prior to examinations as, for its size, it contains much background detail. Its strong point is the quality of the pictures. On balance, I believe, this book may be useful to those who learn best through ‘pictures’; others, however, who like a little more meat on their bones will find this book wanting. A. S. High
Handbook of Orthodontics, 4th edition. Robert E. Moyers. Pp. 577. 1988. London, Year Book Medical Publishers (Wolfe Medical). Hardback, f37.50. This is the 4th edition of a well-known textbook of orthodontics first published in 1958. The author is Professor of Orthodontics at the University of Michigan and he has solicited contributions from ten other wellknown authorities without any loss of continuity of style or purpose. Much of the scientific data included in the text has been derived from the annual symposia held at the world-famous Centre for Human Growth and Development at Ann Arbor, together with the longitudinal growth studies performed there. The book is divided into three sections on growth and development, diagnosis, and treatment. The basic scientific material in the first relates to the later clinical sections with extensive crossreferencing. The scientific basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment is demonstrated clearly and Professor Moyers is not slow to highlight deficiencies in our present knowledge. While this book will serve as an excellent reference for the practising orthodontist, he also intends it as an introductory text for students and a basic orthodontic resource for the non-specialist dentist. Although not sufficiently concise for the UK undergraduate, it is well suited to the latter, since it does not assume any specialised knowledge. The goals of orthodontics should, ideally, be those of all 0 1989 Butterworth & Co. Publishers Ltd. 0300-57 12f 89/020099-02 903GO
dentistry and, as an insight into these, the author quotes Tulley, an English orthodontist! He has likened the treatment of malocclusion to playing a never-ending game of chess with the devil. The dentist enters into the game after it has started, not always able to guess what moves have been made previously. The rules of the game, that is the rules of bone biology, neurophysiology, musclelearning, psychology and the other factors, are not all chosen by the clinician and change as the game progresses or conditions alter. There are no winners: it is enough just to keep the game going. Clinical goals are not necessarily normal or ideal. Rather they are pragmatic and determined by the state of the individual patient. The best occlusion is that which adapts best through time, providing continuing functional homeostasis. To understand and achieve these goals takes much study and clinical experience but will no doubt be assisted by Professor Moyer’s admirable handbook. M. J. Trenouth
A Colour Atlas of the Tongue in Clinical Diagnosis. D. W. Beaven and S. E. Brooks. Pp. 256. 1988. London, Wolfe Medical. Softback, f 14.95. The aim of this atlas is to draw attention to the omission from almost all modern medical textbooks of the timehonoured procedure of scrutiny of the tongue in routine general physical examination. To this end the authors, the first of whom is a general physician in New Zealand of many years’ clinical experience, have assembled 415 pictures of both normal and pathological tongues. The contents are organized into 19 headings which range from normal and developmental abnormalities through such conventional disease classifications as ulcerations, infections, blistering conditions and tumours to such strange chapters as the ‘Portcullis’ syndrome (which is simply the dropping down of loose upper complete dentures during sleep). Each chapter begins with a short introductory text followed by illustrations with adjacent legends and ends with an up-to-date and pertinent reference list. As is to be expected from Wolfe Medical Publications, the quality of colour illustrations is generally of a high standard. The relevance of a number of these, however, is far from convincing. The pathology attributed to several figures has to be accepted with the eye of faith and could equally be attributed to normal variations. Conversely, some grossly abnormal appearances such as the sublingual keratosis described as lichen planus would very much worry the present reviewer. If there is one major criticism of the work it is the superabundance of illustrations. A more limited selection of more classical presentations would be less confusing and more helpful to the inexperienced examiner. The relevance of some textual comments is also obscure. Although race and
99
99-100
Book Reviews Section
Editor: P. N. Hirschmann
Oral Medicine: Colour Aids in Dentistry. C. Scully and R. A. Cawson. Pp. 156. 1988. Churchill Livingstone. Softback, f9.95.
Edinburgh,
This is the second in this publishers dental series of Colour Aids, adding to Cawson’s earlier ‘Oral Pathology’. The book is in a 5-by-7-inch format with 172 high-quality colour pictures presented on each right-hand page; the left-hand page contains the text in note-format for each condition. It is entering an already crowded market-place: there are at least seven other similar books (Scully is partauthor of one) and is in direct competition with the Pocket Picture-Guide by Lamey and Lewis. Its main difference from the others is in describing diseases by site. Aimed at undergraduates, postgraduates and practitioners, it can only ever help the latter by the ‘picture matching’ approach. Undergraduates and postgraduates may find this useful for revision prior to examinations as, for its size, it contains much background detail. Its strong point is the quality of the pictures. On balance, I believe, this book may be useful to those who learn best through ‘pictures’; others, however, who like a little more meat on their bones will find this book wanting. A. S. High
Handbook of Orthodontics, 4th edition. Robert E. Moyers. Pp. 577. 1988. London, Year Book Medical Publishers (Wolfe Medical). Hardback, f37.50. This is the 4th edition of a well-known textbook of orthodontics first published in 1958. The author is Professor of Orthodontics at the University of Michigan and he has solicited contributions from ten other wellknown authorities without any loss of continuity of style or purpose. Much of the scientific data included in the text has been derived from the annual symposia held at the world-famous Centre for Human Growth and Development at Ann Arbor, together with the longitudinal growth studies performed there. The book is divided into three sections on growth and development, diagnosis, and treatment. The basic scientific material in the first relates to the later clinical sections with extensive crossreferencing. The scientific basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment is demonstrated clearly and Professor Moyers is not slow to highlight deficiencies in our present knowledge. While this book will serve as an excellent reference for the practising orthodontist, he also intends it as an introductory text for students and a basic orthodontic resource for the non-specialist dentist. Although not sufficiently concise for the UK undergraduate, it is well suited to the latter, since it does not assume any specialised knowledge. The goals of orthodontics should, ideally, be those of all 0 1989 Butterworth & Co. Publishers Ltd. 0300-57 12f 89/020099-02 903GO
dentistry and, as an insight into these, the author quotes Tulley, an English orthodontist! He has likened the treatment of malocclusion to playing a never-ending game of chess with the devil. The dentist enters into the game after it has started, not always able to guess what moves have been made previously. The rules of the game, that is the rules of bone biology, neurophysiology, musclelearning, psychology and the other factors, are not all chosen by the clinician and change as the game progresses or conditions alter. There are no winners: it is enough just to keep the game going. Clinical goals are not necessarily normal or ideal. Rather they are pragmatic and determined by the state of the individual patient. The best occlusion is that which adapts best through time, providing continuing functional homeostasis. To understand and achieve these goals takes much study and clinical experience but will no doubt be assisted by Professor Moyer’s admirable handbook. M. J. Trenouth
A Colour Atlas of the Tongue in Clinical Diagnosis. D. W. Beaven and S. E. Brooks. Pp. 256. 1988. London, Wolfe Medical. Softback, f 14.95. The aim of this atlas is to draw attention to the omission from almost all modern medical textbooks of the timehonoured procedure of scrutiny of the tongue in routine general physical examination. To this end the authors, the first of whom is a general physician in New Zealand of many years’ clinical experience, have assembled 415 pictures of both normal and pathological tongues. The contents are organized into 19 headings which range from normal and developmental abnormalities through such conventional disease classifications as ulcerations, infections, blistering conditions and tumours to such strange chapters as the ‘Portcullis’ syndrome (which is simply the dropping down of loose upper complete dentures during sleep). Each chapter begins with a short introductory text followed by illustrations with adjacent legends and ends with an up-to-date and pertinent reference list. As is to be expected from Wolfe Medical Publications, the quality of colour illustrations is generally of a high standard. The relevance of a number of these, however, is far from convincing. The pathology attributed to several figures has to be accepted with the eye of faith and could equally be attributed to normal variations. Conversely, some grossly abnormal appearances such as the sublingual keratosis described as lichen planus would very much worry the present reviewer. If there is one major criticism of the work it is the superabundance of illustrations. A more limited selection of more classical presentations would be less confusing and more helpful to the inexperienced examiner. The relevance of some textual comments is also obscure. Although race and