Principles of operative dentistry

  • A. J. E. Qualtrough,
  • J. D. Satterthwaite,
  • L. A. Morrow &
  • P. A. Brunton
UK: Blackwell price £24.95, pp 192 ISBN 1405118210 | ISBN: 1-405-11821-0

This text seeks to distil the theoretical concepts underpinning operative dentistry in 170 pages. It is written by a team from Manchester and Leeds and is directed at dental students and professionals complementary to dentistry.

A first chapter covers ergonomics, selective aspects of clinical examination, caries and moisture control. It is so brief as to be frankly useless. I am biased, but the theoretical concepts of cariology underpinning operative dentistry cannot be covered in five pages.

A second chapter similarly fails to cover direct restorations in 22 pages. The next chapter on endodontics (30 pages) is well written presenting both principles and technique. This will be useful to dental students. A further 24 page endodontic chapter covers aspects of trauma, resorption, perio-endo lesions and restoration of the root filled tooth.

There follow 22 pages on the principles of indirect restoration and I fear the brief text may leave the student bewildered. A further chapter on indirect restorations devotes 22 pages to choice of material, the choice of intra or extra-coronal restorations, the advantages and disadvantages of partial coverage, temporary restoration and impressions, methods of construction of restorations and the problems of short teeth and too little occlusal space. Each topic is just touched upon. Failure and maintenance of restorations is a penultimate chapter, which at five pages, with no illustrations, is totally inadequate.

The last chapter is a discussion of evidence-based dentistry and one wonders why this was not the first chapter. The rest of the text, although referenced, does not follow the evidence-based route since the book does not point out which principles have an evidence-base and which do not.

Perhaps my major problem with this book is the lack of good illustrative material. All pictures are in black and white. Presumably the publishers dictated this format, but it results in a lack-lustre presentation. There are nine foggy extra-oral pictures, two of which are tantalisingly reproduced clearly in colour on the cover, and only one intra-oral picture. There are numerous diagrams but many are unhelpful. Some are too small; others have inadequate legends or are confusing or are just wrong. There are no radiographs and this is incredible considering a Professor of Radiology is one of the contributors.

Dental students at Manchester and Leeds should use this book before exams because their teachers wrote it and it will hopefully complement their 'in house' manuals. Apart from the endodontic chapters, I think the rest of the student body should give this book a miss.