Book review

  • Eliakim Mizrahi
(ed) CRC Press price £106.25 pp 435 ISBN 9781482241945 | ISBN: 978-1-4822-4194-5

The purpose of the second edition book, Orthodontic Pearls – A Selection of Practical Tips and Clinician Expertise, is to use the 49 contributing authors' knowledge and clinical experience to provide students, graduates and orthodontic clinicians with an expanded knowledge of topics introduced in the first edition, whilst introducing the reader to the innovative advances in digital technology that is currently being adopted in clinical orthodontics.

This book is divided into 25 chapters and contains five appendices. Each chapter has a clear display of its contents and associated page numbers in order to allow the reader the ability to select and identify topics that are applicable to their learning needs.

The authors write in an easy-to-follow language with the majority of the chapters' text being broken up by high quality colour images, tables and radiographs. Also, conveniently embedded throughout the text are blue coloured boxes containing orthodontic pearls of wisdom. These pearls draw upon the authors' knowledge and personal experiences, and succeed in providing the reader with advice, guidance and forewarning on their chosen topic, whilst adding a personal and informal touch to the narrative.

One of the most enjoyable and informative chapters of the book is Chapter 6, which is dedicated to providing an update on photography in orthodontics. This chapter covers the importance of clinical photographs in: orthodontic treatment planning, case records, practice marketing, and medico legal purposes. The authors provide insightful recommendations on the makes and models of equipment and accessories suitable for dental imaging. Page 55 of this chapter summarises, in a visually easy-to-follow bullet point format, the important points to consider when taking both extra-oral and intra-oral photographs. These considerations belong in every practice as a quick reference guide to improving the quality of dental images.

One of the main accomplishments of this book is the extensive 52-page appendix. The appendix is sub-divided into five appendices (A–E) and provides the reader with insightful examples of acknowledgement letters, non-compliance letters, treatment specific consent forms and clinical examination proformas.

This book is also available as an E-book, which complements the desk edition well. The E-book is accessed via VitalSource Bookshelf and can be viewed on many devices making the book both portable and readily accessible to its readers. The VitalSource reader also has the added features of being able to make and share notes which will be greatly appreciated and utilised by students and lecturers.