Complete Dentures: From Planning to Problem Solving

  • P. F. Allen &
  • S. McCarthy
Surrey:, Quintessence, 2003 price £28, pp119 ISBN 1850970645 | ISBN: 1-850-97064-5

It is well recognised that the need for complete dentures is declining due to improvements in dental health. As a result, a large proportion of the dental profession now has less experience in providing complete dentures than in the past. However, the 1998 Adult Dental Health Survey estimates that at present there are four to five million edentulous adults in England and Wales: so there is still significant demand.

In Complete Dentures: From Planning to Problem Solving it is pleasing to see the opening chapter focus on how to manage the transition to edentulousness. The authors explain that this is a critical period for the older adult with a failing dentition; if handled well, this phase can contribute considerably to a successful long-term outcome. If handled badly, the patient may never adapt successfully to wearing complete dentures.

Each of the 10 chapters commence with a brief statement of the aims and anticipated outcomes, and end with key clinical points and conclusions. The bulk of the book deals with the planning, construction and review of complete dentures, with the addition of a chapter on the role of the replica or copy denture technique in the management of the edentulous patient. A final chapter discusses the place of osseointegrated prostheses in the treatment of edentulism.

At just over 100 pages, the text is easy to read with an emphasis on sensible, practical solutions to the basic challenges of constructing complete dentures. This is complemented by illustrations consisting of high quality photographs and clear, unambiguous diagrams.

This book, the second volume in the Prosthodontics Section of the Quintessentials for Dental Practitioners series, is a valuable addition to the literature. Dentists who continue to provide complete dentures — but who feel that their skills in this challenging branch of dentistry need a timely boost — will find it particularly useful. Indeed, it may even provide the impetus to persuade a few more dentists to treat this very deserving group of patients.