Book review

  • P. Trainor
Academic Press price £85.00; pp 608 ISBN 9780124017306 | ISBN: 978-0-1240-1730-6

Of all the tissues of the human body, none is more significant to dentists than the neural crest. Yet few dentists are even aware of its existence. For without the cranial neural crest, there would be no jaws or even teeth upon which to practice their profession. This latest book in a succession of texts and articles devoted to the neural crest, first identified in 1879 and subsequently, conveys the most up-to-date research in this enigmatic field. Embossed with a cover portraying the initial location of neural crest cells in an early mouse embryo, the book encompasses the contributions of 49 renowned researchers from around the world in 21 chapters. The subjects range from evolution and embryonic development through differentiation and disease to tissue engineering and repair. The latest insights into the molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive neural crest differentiation opens up potentially new avenues of cell-based therapies in regenerative medicine and dentistry that will be of clinical significance.

This book is obviously directed towards a research-based audience, but enlightened readers will find the chapters on neurocristopathies of relevance in understanding the pathogenesis of craniofacial disorders. Of particular dental interest is the chapter on 'tooth development and regeneration'. The resources and prospects identified for tissue engineering, repair and regeneration from neural crest stem cell derivatives provide timely companions to Huang and Thesleff's tome on neural crest stem cells, Stem cells in craniofacial development and regeneration, recently reviewed in the BDJ, (Br Dent J 2013; 215: 596–597) and Sieber-Blum's Neural crest stem cells: breakthroughs and applications. These recent publications herald an emerging new era of clinical applications of molecular and cellular medicine and dentistry based upon understanding the processes of embryogenesis, dysgenesis and tissue healing.

This text is a tour de force in its field and is of significance to embryologists, craniofacial biologists, geneticists, syndromologists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons for its concepts and innovations in this rapidly expanding field. The quality of production from Academic Press is superb, providing a landmark reference work for those in the forefront of craniofacial research and regenerative surgical therapy.