Book review

  • S. M. Gonzalez
(ed) Wiley Blackwell price £53.99; pp 224 ISBN 9781118381069 | ISBN: 978-1-1183-8106-9

Dental magazines are often filled with advertisements for new products or technologies. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is no exception. As such, any objective resources available for self-learning are invaluable for dentists involved in its use or those with an interest in this area. This book aims to be an easy-to-use guide on interpreting cone beam scans for general practitioners and dental students.

It should be noted that it is primarily aimed at an American audience. A chapter on legal issues mentions the European Academy of DentoMaxilloFacial Radiology basic principles but is largely irrelevant to the UK reader. Similarly, attention is paid to other American guidelines regarding imaging prior to implant placement.

The book is organised by anatomical areas that range from the coronal skull base down to the cervical spine and soft tissues of the neck. Descriptions of normal anatomy and incidental findings are illustrated using easily-oriented image 'slices'. The chapters on the paranasal sinuses, the sinonasal cavity and the temporomandibular joint are written by an additional contributor and are particularly comprehensive. Here, anatomy is described in greater depth and examples of common pathology are given.

Guidance on reporting of scans is given through examples. An online resource allows access to all images from the book and to five case studies which test the reader's ability to detect normal anatomy. It is systematic in outlining and illustrating important head and neck structures and the variants of normal. The temporomandibular joint chapter is excellent and provides background, clinical presentation and radiographic findings of different joint pathology.

Dento-alveolar structures are only covered briefly. The author's intention seems to be preparing American general practitioners prescribing CBCT to interpret and report the scans: under American recommendations, this responsibility lies with the referrer. This niche does not exist in the UK as a specialist radiologist is required to report any large field of view scans. Hence, some content of the book is beyond the needs of the general practitioner and too basic for a trained radiologist.

In summary, it makes a useful read for anyone with an interest in learning to interpret cone beam images and recognise common findings. It is a manageable read in full but just as useful as a quick reference guide. It is not a comprehensive guide to CBCT and readers may wish to consider investing in alternative publications if this is their goal.