Dental Caries. The Disease and its Clinical Management

Edited by:
  • O. Fejerskore &
  • E. Kidd
(Ed) London: Blackwell, 2003 price £75, pp 368 ISBN 1405107189 | ISBN: 1-405-10718-9

This clearly written, 350-page tome, edited by two of the most respected cariologists in the field today, will shortly adorn the shelves of most dental libraries around the world, as the standard reference text in this expanding field. It discusses the current evidence base of knowledge and understanding of the carious process and clinical management strategies. It does not attempt to discuss the different clinical treatment modalities that may be used to manage the carious lesion operatively. The editors have managed to collate a wide range of evidence-based information from a select group of international experts into a book that guides the reader through numerous, logically-planned chapters, divided into four parts, with a comprehensive list of references ending each chapter.

Part I describes the physiology / histopathology of the carious process. Chapters include saliva production, oral microflora and biofilms, chemical interactions and histology. The level of detail especially in Chapter 2 (saliva) may at times be a little daunting but provides useful reference information nevertheless. The second part discusses caries diagnosis. The following four chapters pursue an interesting interplay between the conceptual understanding of dental caries and the technical developments in clinical diagnosis. Part III is about the major factors that play a role in lesion development and progression. The distillation of current knowledge serves to highlight the concepts of caries control and non-operative treatment strategies. Chapters on plaque control at the tooth surface, patient and population level, the role of antimicrobials and fluoride precede chapter 14 which discusses in depth the vast literature on the role of diet and caries development. The remaining chapters deal with the ever thorny issue of when to operatively intervene in the carious process, how much carious tissue should be excavated and the growing importance of the seal obtained from the final restoration and its relevance to caries progression. The final part of the textbook discusses the issues regarding the prognosis and prediction difficulties of caries incidence and prevalence in individuals and populations. Current evidence is analysed in order to address relevant clinical issues in a scientific manner.

The book is not without criticism. The gathering of high quality colour images in plate sections has broken the continuity of certain chapters. If this was done to minimise publishing costs, then it is debatable whether this has helped as the cost of the book will price it out of the large undergraduate market. As the ultimate reference to both under - and post-graduates alike, however, this textbook will be well thumbed for years to come!