Preservation and restoration of tooth structure

  • G.J. Mount &
  • W.R. Hume
Australia: Knowledge Books and Software price £59.95, pp 365 ISBN 192082474X | ISBN: 1-920-82474-X

This is the second edition of a book originally published in 1998. It has a foreword by Edwina Kidd, whose association must surely endorse it as an important reference text.

Initially, it is difficult to see where this book fits among other texts. It is fairly large and too heavy to be easily portable, and it covers some sub-topics such as tooth development and pulpal dynamics in too superficial a way to replace other books dedicated to these subjects. However, its real strength lies in the integrated approach to the topic addressed by the title, whereby dental disease prevention, reversal and repair is approached in relation to tooth structure, the biology of disease and the physical chemical and biological properties of repair techniques when these are called for. The reader needs to sign up to the whole concept presented, and to do this must read the whole book. Once this is done, it is possible to 'dip in and out' of the various sections with a proper understanding.

Chapter 6 introduces a caries-risk model, called 'the Traffic Light — Matrix model'. This is designed to 'collect data from individual patients and develop personalised treatment solution'. While the full model may be somewhat cumbersome for all applications, its concept is valid and it would be helpful in determining individual recall intervals for patients. There are really good sections on Risk Assessment, Lifestyle Impacts and Remineralisation Aids. They are great food for reflective thought for undergraduates and experienced practitioners alike, and the philosophy is definitely compatible in practice with extended roles for PCDs.

Inevitably, some teeth require operative intervention because the carious process has proceeded too far or because previous restorations have failed. Approximately two thirds of the book is devoted broadly to this aspect. The new method of identification and classification of lesions of the tooth crown, as opposed to G.V. Black's classification, first introduced in the previous edition of this book, makes even more sense in this second edition. The authors state that this is not meant to dictate either cavity design or restorative material but to encourage preservation of tooth structure. It does this by explaining principles of integration of cavity design, choice of restorative material and remineralisation potential.

One or two of the figures do not quite illustrate what they claim, but this is a minor criticism. All in all, this book is thoroughly to be recommended.