Practical implant dentistry — diagnostic, surgical, restorative and technical aspects of aesthetic and functional harmony

  • A. Sethi &
  • T. Kaus
UK: Quintessence price £98, pp 284 ISBN 1850970610 | ISBN: 1-850-97061-0

This beautifully illustrated hardback would be a welcome addition to any implantologist's library. The stated aims are to provide a 'Practical and pragmatic approach ... to present guidelines to assist the clinician during decision making...' These are admirably achieved.

The book is divided into three sections: Introduction and assessment; Implant placement and Augmentation. Each section contains a large number of photographic plates, clear diagrams and useful pre-operative assessment checklists and flowcharts to facilitate decision-making. The book concentrates on the practicalities of implantology rather than discussing in depth the principles underpinning the techniques. The chapters are referenced throughout and the multiple headings make the text easy to follow. The implant system used is slightly unclear, but there are references to Ankylos.

Section one contains two very brief chapters on patient selection and medical history, but more than compensates for this with two comprehensive sections on additional diagnostic procedures (plain films, CT, MRI, ridge mapping and study casts) and anatomic variations.

Section two takes the reader step by step through all the clinical and technical stages of implantology from initial assessment, tooth extraction and impressions to implant placement, try in of the prosthetic framework and restoration completion. The section is subdivided into immediate placement, delayed placement and prosthetic protocols. Of particular interest is the advice on technique options for differing clinical scenarios. There are several diagrams outlining variations in incision design and suturing technique — two very important surgical considerations that are all too often overlooked. Each chapter finishes with case studies to further illustrate the techniques discussed.

Section three covers the topic of soft and hard tissue augmentation. Bone expansion, localised and iliac crest bone grafts are discussed in glorious technicolour detail. Neural repositioning and sinus lifts with their associated complications are described with references to instrumentation, radio-graphs, clinical photographs and CT scans.

In summary, this is an excellent book on practical implantology for those with a basic understanding of the subject. It will benefit a wide spectrum of clinicians from junior surgeons to experienced implantologists. However, it does not, nor does it claim to, contain information on the various implant systems available on the market or the fundamentals of osseointegration.