Book review

  • David H. Felix,
  • Jane Luker &
  • Crispian Scully
George Warman Publications Ltd in association with Stephen Hancocks Ltd price £39.99 pp 146 ISBN 9780993228001 | ISBN: 978-0-9932-2800-1

Oral medicine: Update for the dental team is the first of three books to be launched by Dental Update from their authors in 2015. This is a new title in the Dental Update Books series, which aims to provide a concise, practice friendly chair-side companion for the dental team. This specific volume helps to identify and diagnose oral conditions and lesions, as well as providing advice on treatment and making appropriate referrals.

Divided into 17 chapters, the work is based on a recent series of articles in Dental Update. There are multiple chapters which focus on ulceration, lumps and swellings, and radiolucencies and radio-opacities; whilst individual chapters concern halitosis, white lesions, red and pigmented lesions, orofacial sensation and movement and orofacial pain. The authors have many years of experience in the various subjects and aptly apply their knowledge in a practical and succinct style. They have approached the subject mainly via the symptomatic approach, as it largely relates to the presenting complaint, which they considered to be more helpful for general dental practitioners, rather than taking a diagnostic category approach. The clinical aspects of the relevant disorders are discussed, including a brief overview of the aetiology, detail on the clinical features and how the diagnosis is made. There is guidance on management and when to refer, as well as relevant websites which offer further detail on the subjects. Accompanying clinical photographs of conditions are of high quality and comprehensive tables demonstrate the causes of oral conditions. These are presented in a logical order for the reader, leading them through each condition effectively.

The target audience of this book, based on the style and approach of the work, is most likely a busy general dental practitioner, as an effective and useful chair-side reference. The clinical photographs and tables highlighting causes of oral conditions are likely to prove an excellent aide-memoire when revising for examinations, making it a perfect go-to for the undergraduate dental student. The information in the book could also be helpful to the whole healthcare team, as dental education is considered to be lacking for doctors, nurses and pharmacists who may be called upon to advise on oral issues. To conclude, all practice teams, dental and medical, will find this easy-to-use reference book invaluable.