Book Review

  • Barrie Lawrence
Grosvenor House Publishing Limited, 2017 price £8.99 pp. 238 ISBN 9781786238412 | ISBN: 978-1-7862-3841-2

Although not every dental professional may choose to read dental themed literature for pleasure, some amusement may be found in this text. A light-hearted read, Barrie Lawrence's latest book presents a series of well-intentioned dental anecdotes from a long career in the profession.

As the title suggests, readers can expect tireless James Bond references throughout the book, with chapters such as 'Goldentooth', 'On her Majesty's National Health Service' and 'For Your Teeth Only' setting the tone. The content is a series of pun-heavy stories throughout which the author, with a hint of realism, compares the daily work of a general dentist to the activities of a secret service agent. Progressing through the book, the puns become repetitive and predictable, which unfortunately can detract from the narrative. As a retired dentist, some of the stories reflect a different time in the profession and show how much change has occurred – a heavy hint of nostalgia is present with an air of reflection into a potentially simpler and less-regulated time.

The author is open from the outset regarding his spiritual beliefs and the resultant impact on his writing – the consequence, specified by the author himself, is an inoffensive text, free of any crude or inappropriate content. On this basis, it is a very accessible book for those wanting to hear about the reality of working with the general public in a challenging profession. The target audience, however, is unclear as dentists are well aware of the reality whilst those outside of the profession may not wish to know the events happening behind-the-scenes in such detail, if any.

In summary, though this may not be the author's intention, the book may be suited to a younger individual considering a career in dentistry as the stories provide some basic history of dentistry and a real insight into the characters faced in daily practice with sprinklings of basic dental science education thrown in. The problem, however, is that it is this exact group that may struggle to tolerate the sense of humour of a different generation. If a reader can prepare to mentally filter out excessive 007 references, this book may provide some light-hearted entertainment.