Dental Care Unit

Medical and science writer Smith has collaborated with the faculty of the Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery to produce a comprehensive, definitive guide to dental care. The clearly written, informative sections on oral anatomy, dental visits, routine care, dental problems and treatment, dental fears, emergencies, controversies, and dental care for different age groups, for women, and for persons with medical conditions provide all the information one can imagine a dental patient could need. Particularly useful are the appendixes, which include a glossary, directories of dental associations, and a section describing dental symptoms and offering advice on whether to see a dental-care professional. The glossary allows this book to be used successfully by lay readers, but it would also be a good reference in academic libraries; dental students or those considering entering dental school will find the list of dental schools and the section on dentists’ qualifications helpful. If the index (not seen) is as well designed and thorough as the rest of the text, this book is to be recommended for all libraries.?Stacey Hathaway, Wright State Univ., Dayton, Ohio
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Twenty-nine Columbia University dental faculty members joined Smith in the writing and editing of this overview of dental and oral anatomy, routine and specialized dental care, dental problems and treatments, and the fears, emergencies, and controversies associated with those topics. They also tell how to select a dentist and what to expect when you visit a dental office, make as much sense as possible out of dental insurance, and cogently warn against dentists who advertise and those who claim expertise after short courses sponsored by manufacturers pushing particular instruments and techniques. The overall text is clear, understandable, well organized, and frequently cross-referenced, and it often points out where the evidence in favor of a certain treatment is indecisive and where more research is needed. And it has a comforting, human touch, as when it suggests that after a tough session in the chair, you reward yourself with a movie or a book. Appendixes include a glossary and lists of dental associations and teaching institutions. William Beatty