B. Daly, P. Batchelor, E. T. Treasure, R. G. Watt. Oxford University Press price £26.99; pp 264 ISBN

9780199679379

This book identifies the link between public health and clinical practice with a strong emphasis on evidence-based medicine. It is an ideal introduction to public health for dental undergraduates. This 264 page book contains four parts that are split into chapters. The beginning of each chapter features learning objectives and a list of chapter links to other relevant chapters. This is useful for students and practitioners as many will dive into chapters one at a time and be signposted to others. From first impressions, the layout of the book, with its many diagrams and boxes containing key points, makes it easy to read.

Dental public health is now established as a core topic in undergraduate curricula and is shaping oral health policy and the delivery of oral health services. The authors see dental public health as a way of developing the reader's analytical skills, with an end product of a practitioner who has a wider ethical perspective on his role in providing care within a community and a questioning approach to the delivery of care. This influences the book in that there are many discussion points presented within the text that are designed to stimulate debate and discussion. However, some of the discussion points are very broad, challenging scenarios, which would be difficult for the average undergraduate to consider without the stimulation and help of fellow students or a facilitator. These points would be very useful as material for use in small group teaching of undergraduates, DFTs and SHOs, and would be a good way of getting the most benefit from the book.

Principles of dental public health should be considered as essential as knowing principles of clinical procedures. For the oral health team to reduce dental disease, education is key. The authors have produced a concise summary of dental public health, never an easy thing to produce. It will be invaluable not only for undergraduates but also for professions complimentary to dentistry learning about dental public health. Postgraduate students and practitioners will find it a useful reference. I found it to be well laid out, interesting and a very readable book. I'm sure I will refer to it at various times throughout my dental career.