Special care dentistry

  • J. Fiske,
  • C. Dickinson,
  • C. Boyle,
  • S. Rafique &
  • M. Burke
UK: Quintessence price £28.00; pp 158 ISBN 9781850971344 | ISBN: 978-1-8509-7134-4

Special care dentistry is the latest publication in the Clinical Practice series of Quintessentials for General Dental Practitioners, edited by Nairn Wilson. The authors are highly experienced clinicians, teachers and researchers in special care dentistry at King's College London Dental Institute (Guy's Campus).

In its 145 pages and 12 chapters, this pocket sized hardback covers a wide range of topics within special care dentistry, with emphasis on practical patient management. The chapters are clearly and consistently formatted, allowing the reader to quickly identify the chapter aim, its conclusion and appropriate further reading materials. The writing style and relevant, high quality illustrations enable the reader to read the book as a whole or use it as a reference text when presented with particular clinical scenarios.

True to their aim of informing the mainstream primary dental team, the authors have not attempted to include every aspect of the practice of special care dentistry at a specialist level. Instead, they have succeeded in covering prevalent types of disability including physical, sensory and learning disabilities and mental ill health, focusing on holistic management by including discussion of themes such as consent, communication and manual handling.

In the four chapters devoted to management of medically compromised patients the authors have chosen to concentrate on four specific patient groups, namely patients requiring antibiotic cover, those with bleeding disorders, immunocompromised patients and those having radiotherapy. The information provided reflects both current guidance and evidence base where available.

The remaining informative chapters on management of gag reflexes, non-invasive operative procedures and sedation and general anaesthesia are relevant to the practice of special care dentistry and reflect the clinical interests of specific authors.

As is the aim of this excellent series, this is a good entry level text. It will therefore be of value to undergraduates, the primary care practitioner who does not routinely treat special care patients and clinicians who are about to increase their commitment to this diverse group of patients.

In the current climate where the speciality of special care dentistry is developing across many continents, it is both encouraging and refreshing to see a high quality text which is accessible to the generalist.