S. C. White, M. J. Pharoah. Elsevier price £90.00; pp 696 ISBN

9780323096331

This is an essential read for dental practitioners wanting to comprehend the basic radiological principles of everyday dental care and to further interpret images produced with different modalities.

The book is broadly categorised into two parts: firstly the 'Principles' of radiology such as how ionising radiation interacts with biological matter, the radiographic manifestation of disease within oral and maxillofacial tissues and quality control. 'Interpretation of exposures' covers caries and periodontitis along with the radiographic manifestations of systemic disease states and conditions, malignancies, maxillofacial trauma and temporomandibular joint abnormalities. The use of radiology for implantology and forensics is also presented.

This edition has vast improvements on predecessors; two extra chapters detail CBCT, reflecting the advancement of technology and increasing incorporation into daily practice; and online test bank images supplement preparation for examinations.

The text has a clear objective to teach one to be thorough, careful and systematic when exposing and interpreting dental radiographic images. The authors provide an excellent resource with clinical relevance to common disease states, with a commensurate refreshment of knowledge of the complex anatomy of the facial skeleton.

The clarity of images, which are provided in colour for the first time in the title's publication, supplements the text to further exemplify the fundamentals of oral radiology. Although the authors and editorial board are predominantly based in the US, the nomenclature does not deter from the value of the text.

The book provides a means for clinicians to develop a quality control by comparing images to the gold standard in terms of geometry and contrast, subsequently furthering competency and thus attaining the maximal diagnostic yield possible when exposing to ionising radiation.

This is a valuable source of information that should be in the armamentarium of any dentist in training or wanting to develop their competence in oral radiology.