Pharmacology and therapeutics for dentistry, 6th edition

  • J. A. Yagiela,
  • F. J. Dowd,
  • B. S. Johnson,
  • A. J. Mariotti &
  • E. A. Neidle
UK: Elsevier price £64.99; pp 960 ISBN 9780323055932 | ISBN: 978-0-3230-5593-2

The latest edition of this book is written by leading experts in pharmacology and focuses on evaluating a patient's health and how to enhance their dental treatment by taking into consideration the patient's medication.

The book is divided into three parts; part I concentrating on principles of pharmacology, which builds the foundations for the rest of the book. Part II is divided into further sections focusing on the pharmacology of specific groups of drugs and additionally outlines their dental aspects. There are exhaustive chapters on anticaries agents, antiplaque and antigingivitis agents and it is refreshing to see a pharmacology book addressing dental drugs in such depth.

Part III explores special subjects in pharmacology, such as oral complications of cancer therapy, medical emergency drugs, management of fear and anxiety, geriatric pharmacology and drugs of abuse. The antibiotic prophylaxis chapter is approached in an evidence-based manner and yet again proves to be up to date and educational. The closing chapter of part III is a detailed insight into the use of herbs, dietary supplements and alternative therapies. We are seeing increasing numbers of patients who turn to alternative therapies when conventional therapies fail, or as part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. As clinicians it is important to know how these would interact with our treatments, and additionally, since there is little literature available on the subject, this chapter proves to be an engaging read.

The appendix - 'Drug interactions in clinical dentistry' is extremely helpful for quick reference. It describes potential interactions between drugs and drugs that may safely be used or prescribed during dental treatment, including effects of the drugs and recommendations.

The content of the book is detailed and comprehensive, yet there are plenty of summary tables and illustrations which are useful when revising or for quick reference. The book covers major areas of pharmacology and provides an intellectual framework on which to use drugs in a rational manner.