Journal of Orthodontics, Vol. 30, No. 2, 169,
June 2003
© 2003 British Orthodontic Society
Textbook of Orthodontics
S E Bishara W B Saunders Co., Philadelphia, 2001.592 pages, hardback, £48 ISBN 0 7216 8289 8
R G Oliver
This is a new orthodontic textbook that has been edited by Shamir Bishara from Iowa. There are 26 contributors, all of whom (with a single exception) are from North America. There are 30 chapters divided into six sections. There are many black and white illustrations that complement the text. Each chapter has a number of keywords at the beginning that do not seem to be linked to the following text. More useful are the small summary boxes that are liberally sprinkled through each chapter. The division of the book into sections is useful in grouping together areas that have a common theme. Section 1 is Growth and Development, and as would be expected, this is dominated by basic science aspects. In some chapters in this section, the summary boxes are ‘Clinical Considerations’ that help to make the basic science relevant for the clinician. Section 2 is ‘Diagnosis’, which covers the usual identification of normal and aberrant occlusions from clinical inspection and radiographs. The authors may be forgiven for spending time describing the use of the Iowa Cephalometric Standards, but perhaps too much space is devoted to tooth size–arch length analysis. The short section on Appliances not unexpectedly ignores removable appliances, but more bizarrely, also ignores functional appliances and shows pictures of the early stages of Begg mechanics on study models, whilst failing to mention the Tip-Edge technique. The chapter on ‘How Orthodontic Appliances Work’ is disappointingly weak on the basic science aspects of tooth movement and functional appliances, concentrating primarily on the action/reaction of fixed mechanical systems. We have to wait until later in the book for information on removable and functional appliances.
Section 4 on ‘Treatment and Treatment Considerations’ starts by covering primary dentition treatment, and is followed by a long chapter on mixed dentition treatment that includes removable and functional appliances. Much of this chapter really belongs in Section 1, as it describes occlusal development in some detail. Chapters follow on each of Class I, Class II, and Class III problems, and the section is completed by chapters on vertical, sagittal, and transverse problems.
The final two sections could really be joined into one that would cover other aspects of orthodontics such as inter-disciplinary problems, behavioural considerations (perhaps better sited in Section 4), iatrogenic problems, and management of syndromes.
Overall, the book is an easy read, helped by the good quality illustrations, and the summary boxes. The forward states that the book is directed at ‘... students of orthodontics ...’, but I am not sure if this means postgraduate students on a specialty course or undergraduate students. I am sure the book will attract a following based on the attractive layout, the broad range of information contained within it, and the relatively small cost.
