J F. J. Hughes, K. G. Seymour, W. Turner, S. Shahdad, F. Nohl. Churchill Livingstone price £39.99; pp 194 ISBN

9780702037405

This book was a truly great read. The way the book is written ensures that all key aspects of periodontology and implantology are covered, while the content remains concise and to the point.

The use of highlighted tables allows the reader to remember key information within the text, such as the clinical features of both chronic and aggressive periodontitis, with comparison between the two types for easier differentiation.

I found the use of case reports with clinical pictures to be very useful as it helped visualise and conceptualise the information and also allowed the reader to apply the information to clinical situations that may arise in his or her career. Interestingly in chapter five, a patient is presented with symptoms that would make you suspect periodontitis but the book helps you to discover that it is Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis. The use of clinical photos and X-rays allows the reader to visualise what this would look like and how you would come to the correct diagnosis.

Any definitions or key concepts are very clearly explained. For example with regard to basic surgery for implant placement, Chapter 19 explains what sort of surgical techniques can be carried out. It explains the procedure with regards to what sort of a flap you may wish to raise and types of drills you may wish to use for preparation of the implant, and also explores the decision of whether the implant is going to be covered by soft tissue or left exposed. Chapter 20 describes the different ways of compensating for loss of bone with regards to use of artificial bone or using the patient's own bone. Again the use of clinical photos really helps the reader to visualise and understand the procedure required. This is particularly evident in figures illustrating how a bone block can be screwed into the jaw to facilitate extra bone for implant placement. In Chapter 21 the term 'implant abutment' is defined before going into further detail as to why you would choose certain implant abutments and the disadvantages and advantages of each of them.

I would recommend this book to any undergraduate student, as I think it would truly help in their studies.