Dental materials: properties and manipulation (9th edition)

  • J. M. Powers
UK: Elsevier price £31.99; pp 384 ISBN 9780323049641 | ISBN: 978-0-3230-4964-1

The main topics of this A5-sized book are: amalgam, cements, impression materials, alloys, polymers, aesthetic dental materials, ceramics and implants. This is aimed squarely at undergraduates who are being introduced to dental materials for the first time. Each chapter begins with an objectives page and delves through each topic with plenty of diagrams, photos and helpful summary boxes alongside the main text. The main text itself has numerous sub-headings so that it is not too overwhelming. There is a final quick review at the end of each chapter and this is followed by a self-test section which includes multiple choice and short answer questions. There is also a bibliography but this can be quite sparse. The glossary at the end of the book provides simple, quick definitions and can be quite useful.

The actual text itself is quite basic and in some cases can be outright incorrect due to an element of 'dumbing down'. However, for some dental students in the early stages of their teachings this might be a blessing. It quite competently walks the reader through potentially confusing topics such as properties of dental materials where the maths and equations involved are explained simply and with little confusion. Some of the text does feel outdated – the section on aesthetic dental materials only briefly refers to composites which is rather surprising. Another criticism of the book is that although there is a self-test section, no correct answers are provided, which I believe is a major omission and of little help to undergraduates who may not be sure of the correct answers.

The book is written by American authors and this is evident from their writing. It frequently refers to materials or products that are unheard of in this country and many of its references are from journals that would be difficult to track down for further reading. The book is linked to an 'evolve' website which has illustrations, movies and other resources for both students and tutors alike. This is not an easy website to use though and requires lots of patience.

In summary, I would recommend this book for undergraduates who are just starting to learn about dental materials, perhaps in conjunction with another book. It is clear and concise in the basics but it is far, far too basic for final year students or those who have qualified.