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Book Review |
This well known publication represents not only the 10th edition of one of the classic oral medicine textbooks, but also celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first edition of Lester Burket’s Oral Medicine: Diagnosis and Treatment. In contrast to the original book, which was written by one author, the present production comprises the work of 30 internationally recognized experts in the field of either oral medicine or general medicine.
The material is divided into 24 chapters that are presented in four sections: Part I contains three chapters addressing the principles of patient evaluation, including a new section on maxillofacial imaging techniques; Part II describes the diagnosis and management of orofacial disease in a total of six chapters, with new chapters on white and red lesions and salivary gland disease; Part III comprises two new chapters on temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain; and Part IV includes 13 chapters covering the principles of medicine, with special emphasis on the impact of disease on provision of dental care.
This book provides an authorative and comprehensive coverage of the practice of oral medicine and the provision of dental care to patients with medical problems. Each chapter contains a number of tables and figures, together with an extensive list of contemporary references. The text is well written throughout and any member of the dental healthcare team will find this book a source of useful information. The depth of material and excellent cited literature provide both undergraduate and postgraduate students with a wealth of knowledge on not only diagnosis, but also on key aspects of clinical management (an aspect of oral medicine often not dealt with adequately in texts of this kind).
As one would expect of an established textbook in its 10th edition, it is extremely difficult to fault this book. However, why have the publishers not made any use of colour illustration? Appreciation of colour is essential in the diagnosis of oral mucosal disease. Whilst, in the past, the cost of colour may have been prohibitive in medical texts, it would now be expected in an establish book such as this. The lack of colour is particularly relevant to the new chapter describing red and white lesions of the oral mucosa, where the majority of the illustrations are just ‘shades of grey’ and, as such, bear no relationship to what is encountered clinically.
The book is accompanied by a CD-ROM that contains a complete copy of the text and illustrations, in fully searchable PDF files. Whilst personally I still prefer the feel and look of a good book, the CD-ROM provides an extremely useful tool for searching for information on a particular subject. Once again, use of colour illustrations would have greatly enhanced the CD.
This book will undoubtedly do extremely well and it deserves to do so. For a specialist in Oral Medicine looking for an up-to-date reference or the non-specialist wishing occasional access to an authoritative view of an aspect of management in a patient with medical condition then there is probably not a better book on the market at the present time. With the addition of colour, which I would hope to see in the 11th edition, this will truly be a ‘must have’ book.
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