Manual of clinical periodontics (second edition)

  • F. G. Serio &
  • C. E. Hawley
USA: Lexi-Comp price $49.95, pp 168 ISBN 1591951763 | ISBN: 1-591-95176-3

This book forms part of Lexi-Comp's Dental Reference Library series and is described as a quick reference for general dentists, dental students, dental hygienists and dental hygiene students. The soft back, ring-bound format is quite practical and the chapter tabs make it very easy to use. It is attractively presented and contains over 200 excellent colour photographs. The 12 chapters each provide a good overview of the material in a logical sequence. The whole book is written in a question-and-answer style format, which makes for very easy reading, although this approach can sometimes appear a little contrived.

There is a very good summary of basic biology followed by more comprehensive coverage of clinical periodontics. There are no fewer than three chapters covering surgical treatment of periodontal defects. There are also brief sections on implant dentistry and periodontal emergencies. One of the best features is the high number of very clear photographs showing clinical examples to support the text. Many readers will find the sample treatment plans helpful, but it is obviously impossible to cover every scenario within the scope of this book. The authors give a good outline of the principles of periodontal treatment, although they appear to place an emphasis on the role of occlusal therapy. It is disappointing that patient motivation and communication are not given as much prominence in the text.

It is apparent that this book is really aimed at the US market. Readers from other countries may be confused by American spellings and terms such as 'therapist' (used in this context to refer to a periodontist). There is a large appendix containing American Insurance Codes for periodontal treatment, which has no use for non-US readers. However, the chapters on surgical treatment provide a very good introduction to this aspect of clinical periodontics, which is often not well taught at this level in the UK.

The book is well suited to the target readership and is clearly written throughout. Postgraduate students or specialists may be frustrated by the lack of references within the text, but there is a comprehensive list of further reading at the end of the book. The material covered and the approach taken by the authors would certainly complement other core texts in clinical periodontics.