Riedel contributed a chapter on retention m which he discusses the effects of continuing dentofacial growth on stability of treated orthodontic patients, mandibular incisor extraction, habits, and rapidity of treatment, among other topics. Riedel would do well to bring this subject, on which he wrote 18 years ago, up to date in American Journals. This excellent volume is in need of an index. .I. A. Salzmann
Dental Pharmacology George W. Pennington, T. N. Calvey, and T. C. A. O’Neil Third
edition.
Philadelphia,
1977, J. B. Lippincott
Company.
206 pages.
Price,
$19.50
This standard text has been revised to include recent advances in pharmacology and therapeutics. Four types of drug hypersensitivity are described in some detail. The practitioner should be especially alert in administering drugs to persons with a history of acute drug reactions. Patients in whom drug hypersensitivity is likely to occur are those with a history of infantile eczema, asthma or hay fever. Hypersensitivity to stainless steel and acrylics has been reported in the orthodontic literature from time to time. The indications, contraindications, and use of tranquilizers are described and the cautions to be observed in prescribing for ambulatory patients are listed. Control of dental hemorrhage is explained from the pharmacologic and practical clinical aspects. The often repeated statement that ‘ ‘considering the number of physical, chemical and bacterial insults to which the oral mucosa is subjected daily, it is remarkable that so little damage results” appears in the text. However, the foregoing is no excuse for failure to observe asepsis and antisepsis in the dental operatory. Among the medical conditions that especially concern dentists are listed cardiovascular disturbances in patients. It is advocated that, a sedative be given prior to the induction of anesthesia and an adequate supply of oxygen should be available. Dental work on the hemophiliac patient should be performed in a hospital. This book is highly recommended as a reference text for the dental practitioner. J. A. Salzmann
Evolutionary Changes to the Primate Skull and Dentition C. L. B. Lavetle, R. P. Shellis, and D. F. G. Poole Springfield,
Ill.,
1977, Charles
C Thomas
Publisher.
285 pages,
illustrated
While the teeth have long played a prominent role in the taxonomy of hominoid fossil skulls, the same cannot be said of the dental arches, tooth eruption, and the soft and hard periodontal tissues. The morphology of the dental arches and the comparative anatomy of the teeth and adnexia cannot be adequately classified in view of the comparatively limited specimens now at hand. Although it has been frequently demonstrated that malocclusion existed in primates, no specific classifications have as yet been attempted. L.S.B. Leakey considers the shape of the basic rectanguIar dental arch in the modern Pongidae ape family to be close to that of modern man, This subject receives detailed discussion in the text. The authors point out that primate studies of the jaws must integrate with the skull as a biologic and functional entity, rather than being a seperate undertaking.