Oral care in advanced disease

  • A. Davis &
  • I. Finlay
UK: Oxford University Press price £39.95, pp 221 ISBN 0192632434 | ISBN: 0-192-63243-4

This is an excellent and readable book. It is edited by two palliative medicine consultants but the content of the book for practical purposes can be applied to patients seen in all specialities. The contributors to the chapters are knowledgeable and obviously have a great deal of practical experience. They support their statements with references and the book is well laid out with tabular illustration of points mentioned in the text. Studies that have been reviewed are annotated in tabular form and this is most helpful. There is audit information documenting the important role that dental input has in a palliative care setting.

I found that I learnt a great deal reading this textbook; for instance if the total body water is reduced by 8% then saliva production decreases to almost zero. There is a wealth of useful information contained within the book. The chapter on oral pain is particularly good and there is a chapter on oral paediatric problems. Many of the chapters have useful websites at the end of the references to take the reader to further sources of information. The chapter on oral infections gives a good insight into plaque formation and is particularly detailed and practically based.

The book has a centrepiece detailing most of the photographs throughout the book in colour, with black and white copies in the relevant chapters.

Overall this is an excellent book and deserves to be available if not read by all healthcare professionals who are concerned to provide holistic care to the people they are privileged to look after. It also demonstrates the importance of involving dentists and dental experts in the care of patients with advanced disease. I would thoroughly recommend this book.