Sunnymede Trust oral health manual

  • S. Rankin &
  • M. Lennon
Stephen Hancocks Ltd £20.00 + p&p
Clear, engaging, accessible.

This book is an introductory text in the field of provision of basic oral health care, particularly aimed at health care workers such as medical aid and voluntary workers who may need to provide oral healthcare outside the surgery.

It succeeds in achieving the best of both text styles: it can be read as a continuous coherent text, but is also a useful resource when seeking to access individual chapters of specific interest. It supports the individual reader new to the subject.

…boxes are deployed in the margins and throughout the main text to highlight key areas to the reader. They have used the symbol of a “risk ladder” which very cleverly alerts the reader to risky medical procedures.

Each of the seven chapters is set out in a clear style. Throughout the book, boxes are deployed in the margins and throughout the main text to highlight key areas to the reader. They have used the symbol of a ‘risk ladder’ which very cleverly alerts the reader to risky medical procedures.

…teeth are not the only things that should be focussed on when providing dental care. It is very important to realise that there are a whole host of oral conditions that can lead to the diagnosis of underlying medical conditions.

The book is very well organised in the order of the chapters. The first three chapters introduce the reader to basic oral anatomy followed by dental diseases then a detailed discussion on oral health promotion. The fourth chapter covers a very important aspect of cross infection control. As this book is aimed at health care workers with basic medical and dental knowledge this part of the book beautifully highlights the importance of protecting the carer as well as the patients in the clinical environment. The book then leads the reader into how to examine and diagnose patients. Chapter six very simply explains how to carry out dental procedures that are adequate for health care workers new to the field. It explains how to scale and root plane teeth, how to give various dental injections followed by how to carry out uncomplicated tooth extractions. The final chapter most importantly highlights to the reader that the teeth are not the only things that should be focussed on when providing dental care. It is very important to realise that there are a whole host of oral conditions that can lead to the diagnosis of underlying medical conditions.

This book was a very enjoyable read. It has achieved its goal well in that it has provided a basic oral health manual for health care workers who operate within a variety of less than ideal situations. It is written in a clear, engaging and accessible style along with beautiful generous illustrations.