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Features Section |
Edwina A. M. Kidd, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005, 180 pp., Paperback, £29.95, ISBN 0198529783
It has been said before, but I don’t mind saying it again: there are lots of books on the dental school library shelves written by experts for experts. Very useful when you need to look something up, but not too helpful to Dental or PCD undergraduate learning. In particular, there are very few books around, which have been written at a level appropriate for PCD education. It was with the needs of Dental Therapy students in mind that I began to read the new edition of Essentials of Dental Caries.
The book has been around since 1987 and has been enduringly popular. In this new edition it has lost one of its authors, although input to the edition by Sally Joyston-Bechal is acknowledged.
Much of the content found in the previous edition remains, but there is a combination of changes, which give this edition a more personal, informal, up-to-date feeling and make it much easier to read. These include the rearrangement of some chapters, a fresh layout with clear section headings, the addition of some new illustrations and text, and above all a new style of writing, which I found most refreshing.
As for the content itself, to my mind it divides into four, relatively discrete, sections. The first section is a brief chapter on the causes and epidemiology of dental caries (although the epidemiology is principally relevant to the UK). The second section contains a chapter on the clinical and histological presentations of dental caries providing background to a chapter on diagnosis. Not particularly relevant to Dental Therapists (who in the UK are not legally permitted to perform diagnosis), the chapter provides some very practical guidance, which will be useful for undergraduate Dental Students learning this very complex skill.
The third section discusses the prevention of dental caries and is by far the largest. There are 5 chapters. There are so few good books on prevention of dental disease, but this one dispenses very practical advice, in a very straightforward manner. I particularly liked the chapter on patient motivation, which both dentists and PCDs need to do better.
The book concludes with a small chapter on operative management. I was somewhat disappointed with this chapter. The author has obviously made a decision that operative technique is not within the remit of the book. Yet the full book title is Essentials of Dental Caries – the Disease and Its Management. I would have really liked to see the discussion on caries removal and dentine remineralization (9.3) taken a lot further. And there are a number of other issues in the treatment of dental caries, in keeping with the preventive nature of the book, which could appropriately be touched on here.
On the whole though, this is a very satisfying book, focused principally on the multifaceted nature of the prevention of dental caries. It will be a useful addition to any student bookshelf.
Martin Fugill
How to Design and Evaluate Research in Education, 6th edn
J. R. Frankel and N. E. Wallen, London: McGraw-Hill International, 2005, 203 pp., Softback, £26.99, ISBN 0071115862
This book first appeared in 1990, and the fact that it has reached 6 editions is a testament to its value. The book is divided into eight parts, with a variable number of chapters in each part. Parts 1 and 2 cover an introduction to research and the basics of educational research. Part 3 covers data analysis. Parts 4, 5 and 6 cover quantitative and qualitative research. Part 7 covers research by practitioners (which, as explained by the authors, is reminiscent of an audit approach to problems) and the final Part is on writing research proposals and reports. Some of the chapters in the final part give useful examples of prepared documents that have subsequently been annotated by a reviewer pointing out both good and poor aspects of the document.
The book is well written and describes, using straightforward language, many of the technical terms used, both in research and education. Each chapter starts with a cartoon relevant to the content and lists the objectives. Further cartoons, diagrams and tables appear within the chapter, which concludes with a list of the Main Points, Key Terms (referenced back to page numbers) and examples for discussion. Chapter 3 (Variables and Hypotheses) fails to mention the null hypothesis and we have to wait until Chapter 11 (Inferential Statistics) before this concept is described. This is a minor criticism in an otherwise good and interesting book.
Is the book appropriate to orthodontic MSc students? I believe that it is. The messages are generic and, although applied through an ‘education’ route, will help any student embarking on any sort of research project for the first time. Indeed, students will find much help in understanding how to set-up, run and analyse qualitative research. This can broaden the scope of research in orthodontics, which can only help us further in our understanding of the whole process of orthodontic care rather than just the bits we can ‘measure’. This book should be recommended reading for all staff and students who are involved with higher degrees in orthodontics.
Richard Oliver
Welcome to the World of Orthodontics III
J. M. Reynolds and L. W. White, Craftsman Books, 2004, 352 pp., Softback, £89.95, Available through DB Orthodontics
This book is apparently in at least its second edition, but has only been recently made available in the UK via one of the Trade supply companies. In the foreword, the authors suggest that the primary target audience is ‘the fledgling orthodontist’. On first reading, and bearing this in mind, one is surprised at the content due to its simplicity and elementary nature. However, if you put into context the fact that a new orthodontist will have not only the orthodontic clinical practice to deliver, but also all the other things that contribute to make a successful practice it begins to make more sense and perhaps appear a little less patronizing!
A new orthodontist will need to educate and train staff, nursing assistants and therapists—there is no doubt that book has some valuable material to assist in office training. There are good clear diagrams to help in this regard and useful sections, such as a comprehensive glossary of orthodontic terms, but with an American bias—two nations divided by a common language!
There are sections where the book is misleading in a UK context, issues of employment law, hiring and firing (!), and financial matters being the obvious ones. There is, however, some useful information for the orthodontic team buried even within these sections.
There are interesting chapters regarding office design, IT impact of office layout and a whole range of IT issues from Electronic Patient records to digital photographic archiving.
Some of the treatment modalities have a very American feel and there are a number of appliances described that the UK orthodontic team may be unfamiliar with, whilst some mainstream UK appliances, such as the Twin Block Appliance, fail to get a mention.
Overall, this book would be useful reference book for the orthodontic team, and could provide a useful tool for patient and parent advice. We were not aware of the retail price of this book when the review went to press, but it would need to be competitively priced to be worth the investment. I strongly suggest potential buyers make their own assessment of the book with a precise knowledge of their needs before considering a purchase.
Peter Durning
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