Communication and the dental team

  • E.J. Kay &
  • S.R. Tinsley
UK: Stephen Hancocks Ltd price £23.95, pp 150 ISBN 0954614518 | ISBN: 0-954-61451-8

This is a revised version of the first edition of this book. The aim of this version is to make the text more accessible to the whole of the dental team and encourage them to place the patient at the heart of the practice.

The book describes itself as an 'essential guide' and is a slim A5 size volume, which I found could be easily read in a couple of hours. The language used is at times slightly colloquial but acronyms and jargon are carefully avoided so the text is uncomplicated.

The 12 chapters include First impressions, Neuro-linguistic programming, Assertiveness without aggression and What worries patients about dentistry and are a good introduction to the numerous topics relating to good communication.

The final chapter gives a series of case histories where management of the cases are suggested based on information in the book, illustrating how the information can be applied in practice.

I found the book very informative and extremely relevant to dental practice today. It whetted my appetite for the topic and I found myself wanting to find out about the subject in greater depth. The authors have anticipated this and useful suggestions for further reading are given at the end of each chapter.

Each topic is illustrated with practical examples and there are even activities suggested to try and improve the readers' communication skills. I found myself becoming quite absorbed and even read particularly interesting bits of the text out to other people in the office.

I would recommend this text to all the dental team, no matter how long they have been practising. The importance of communication is a topic which is often forgotten and this book reminds readers that its significance to a successful dental practice should not be underestimated.