G. T. Clark, R. A. Dionne. Wiley-Blackwell price £64.95; pp 408 ISBN

9780813815596

This publication has been composed by a number of specialists in the field of oral facial pain and successfully targets the experienced clinician working closely with facial pain patients.

I expected this text to provide a broad insight into the drug, behavioural and physical management of the most common facial pain complaints. On first glance I was concerned by both the size and weight of the book, coupled with a less than inspiring front cover. The book places a strong bias on treatment through medication with only a light touch applied to the behavioural and physical management of these patients.

The book commences with a series of tables – referencing the 30 most common oral facial pain conditions. These tables provide a brief overview of the clinical features, cause and diagnostic testing of each complaint. They act as a valuable reference tool for less experienced clinicians looking for a short synopsis of the most common pain complaints.

The eight chapters that follow, in contrast, proved to be tedious. There is a comprehensive discussion of the drugs used to treat the various facial pain disorders, requiring a sound knowledge and understanding of both physiology and pharmacology.

The general layout of each chapter is very good, each containing a short introduction about the class of drug, followed by separate accounts of each individual drug. The format lays out the action, indication, dose, adverse effects and efficacy of each drug into distinct, easy to follow sections. Yet I would consider there to be a lack of visual stimulation throughout, leading to a dull read.

Chapters 12 to 20 explored the management of conditions, with chapters 12, 14, 18, 19 and 20 being the most informative and beneficial, covering topics such as oral mucositis, non-neoplastic oral ulceration, burning mouth syndrome, TMJ disorders and oral motor disorders.

A great effort has been made throughout this book to present the evidence base for the management of facial pain patients and this is very commendable. The provision of a website hosting an excellent question and answer section for each chapter is also a worthwhile addition.

Overall, this book, whilst exhaustive at times, is well researched and very informative. I would consider it to be a rich reference source for any clinician wishing to explore this subject in more detail.