Ozone: The revolution in dentistry

Edited by:
  • E. Lynch
(Ed) UK: Quintessence price £65, pp 288 ISBN 1850970882 | ISBN: 1-850-97088-2

Ozone is well established in many fields such as medicine, water quality treatment and fresh food storage, so it is surprising that its appearance on the dental stage has been so long coming. However, clearly it is now here to stay. It enables clinicians to begin to turn away from the 'Dark Ages' of tissue amputation and presents us with a gold standard of prevention and disease reversal. A technique which is extremely safe, predictable and easy will mean that every clinician will want to incorporate it into their armamentarium.

More than 5,000 clinicians now using ozone in their practices have waited for an authoritative text for some time — and will not be disappointed. It is of course entirely appropriate that it falls to Professor Edward Lynch to bring his depth of experience and obvious enthusiasm to collate and edit the work of the many contributors. As you would expect, Quintessence has produced a volume which is clearly presented and, by breaking the subject down into manageable chapters, an enjoyable read. Much of the clinical photography is of an especially high standard. I found myself totally absorbed and inspired by the beautifully presented work of Liviu and Gabriela Steier on their use of ozone as an adjuvant for long term success in restorative dentistry, along with the exciting potential of ozone in root canal treatment.

The text features contributors from many different scientific and geographical backgrounds. It is encouraging to see how the clinicians featured have incorporated ozone into their practices.

No work on ozone could ever be complete without sections on Minimal intervention dentistry, Modified ART technique, Airabrasion, Remineralisation and of course the earliest possible diagnosis of caries using Diagnodent. All of these subjects are covered in detail; again well illustrated.

While I am reassured to see the complexities of ozone chemistry and nuclear magnetic resonance explained so comprehensively, I cannot personally claim a full understanding of them. These early chapters certainly complete their objective in giving the more technically minded reader a thorough overview of this compelling subject. The foreword poses a question: 'Is the new ozone treatment a quantum leap?' The answer is that since a 'quantum leap' is in fact the smallest possible measurement of change, I would not agree. I actually think ozone and its complementary treatment modalities will permanently change the face of dentistry for the better, for patients and clinicians alike. This is a 'must have' text for twenty-first century dentists.