Radiology for the dental professional (eighth edition)

  • F. Stabulas-Savage
UK:Elsevier price £37.99, pp 566 ISBN 0323030718 | ISBN: 0-323-03071-8

This book was first published in 1974, previously titled Radiology for dental auxiliaries. The authors indicate that the aim of the book, as with previous versions, is to 'apply basic principles to clinical practice'. The earlier editions were aimed at those professionals complementary to dentistry rather than at dental students or the dental practitioner. The new edition has an additional 101 pages compared to the seventh edition in order to try and widen its appeal. There are 25 chapters, an appendix and glossary of terms.

Over three quarters of the book is devoted to radiography, dealing with dental imaging including: radiation physics, biological hazards, radiation protection, processing, quality assurance and radiographic techniques both intra-oral and extra-oral. These chapters are well written, amply illustrated with clear diagrams and radiographic images, which are mostly of acceptable quality.

It is unfortunate that the authors have continued to use the old radiation dose units of rads and rems, although SI units are described. While the book states that rectangular collimation is the single most effective factor is dose reduction, a number of the images illustrating intra-oral radiographic technique show a set with a round cone, so it is unclear whether rectangular collimation is in fact being used. The section on selection criteria is brief and does not cover panoramic radiographs. In addition, the chapter on legislation applies to the USA situation and does not cover the regulations as applied to the United Kingdom.

Although the book has been enlarged, the chapters on interpretation are still too brief to provide the reader with much information other than a simple overview of conditions that affect the teeth and jaws, which limits its appeal for dental students and practitioners. For example, tumours and non-odontogenic cysts are covered in 10 lines and three illustrations.

So in summary, the authors have updated and expanded the amount of information over previous editions but not enough to cover the amount of detail required for a dental undergraduate course in the United Kingdom.