Elizabeth Philipone and Angela J. Yoon. Springer, 2017 price €107.09 pp. 148 ISBN

9783319446387

As the title suggests, this book aims to discuss the diagnosis and treatment of both transient and persistent mucosal lesions in paediatric dental patients in a practical, user-friendly manner. Its concise text and relatively small size means this book would be good as a quick and easy-to-use reference guide for general dental practitioners but is too basic for those who require more knowledge of histopathology. It is important to note that as the authors of the book are American they sometimes use terminology and suggest treatment options not routinely used in the United Kingdom; this is something practising clinicians need to be aware of to prevent confusion.

The authors take a potentially complicated subject and break it down into easy-to-read chapters with simple explanations of the different mucosal lesions. Part One focuses on common presentations of lumps and bumps, papillary lesions, oral ulcers, white and red patches, gingival lesions and pigmented lesions. For each they describe the clinical appearance, aetiology, location, differential diagnoses and treatment. Each lesion is also well illustrated with photographs demonstrating the various presentations which are an invaluable learning tool and the common extra-oral manifestations associated with these lesions are also discussed and illustrated in brief. They give useful clinical clues which help to distinguish between different mucosal lesions and blue boxes highlight important points. Part Two discusses oral manifestations of systemic disease, habits and abuses which provides a good overview of the common signs to look out for and highlights the importance of referring to the appropriate bodies.

In summary, this small, concise book highlights the importance of assessing the oral soft tissues in paediatric dental patients and provides a good reference guide for general dental practitioners, especially when identifying different mucosal lesions due to the effective use of illustrations. However, caution should be taken by UK practitioners as the book uses American terminology, spellings and treatment options which are not routinely used in the UK.