The British Small Animal Veterinary Association is well known for producing a series of large format, soft-cover manuals on a wide variety of subjects. The BSAVA published its first Manual of Canine and Feline Dentistry in 1990 at a time when there were few resources for the aspiring veterinary dentist. This 3rd edition builds on the previous works with contributions from members of the veterinary and human dental professions spread from Australia to South Africa, the United States, and continental Europe, as well as Great Britain.
At just under 200 pages and with a great many full-color, glossy photographs and drawings, this is not a comprehensive text. Rather, it is aimed at the broad market of the general practitioner who, having received little training in dentistry at school, is in need of reliable and easy-to-access information on the basics of veterinary dentistry as seen every day in practice. This goal is achieved admirably.
As with any text complied from many contributors, there is a certain degree of redundancy and repetition from chapter to chapter, but this is only a minor annoyance if one is sitting down to read the book from cover-to-cover. The editors have cross-referenced between chapters to help the reader find all relevant information when searching on a specific topic. Also, the index is quite comprehensive, making it easy to find specific information quickly. Each chapter concludes with an alphabetical listing of suggested readings.
Chapter 1 “Orodental anatomy and physiology,” lays a good foundation with the text supplemented by many high-quality photographs, radiographs, and drawings. This chapter also discusses craniofacial and dental development.
The quality of many of the images in Chapter 2 “Oral and dental diagnostics,” are of lower quality, but still do a reasonable job of aiding the reader’s understanding. It outlines a number of developmental abnormalities that are also well covered in Chapter 6, which is entirely devoted to developmental issues. The rather short section on radiology might have been better as a much larger chapter just on this one very important topic.
Chapter 3 covers “Anaesthesia and analgesia.” While it is true that almost all dental diagnostic and therapeutic procedures require general anesthesia, the section on anaesthesia seems a bit out-of-place. There is nothing here that is not covered in more appropriate detail in standard anaesthesia textbooks and in drug formularies. The acknowledgement that dental procedures are painful and thus require analgesia is appreciated and the photographic essay on local and regional anaesthesia for dental and oral procedures is quite helpful.
Chapter 4 discusses some important concepts surrounding “Operator safety and health considerations.” Many dental materials are potentially dangerous and many patient mouths represent significant exposure to pathogens for the operator and other patients. The dental operator is also at risk of repetitive stress injuries if ergonomics are not heeded. Procedures need to be in place to reduce the risk of cross-contamination, exposure to harmful chemical and radiation and to avoid injury to the operator.
Chapter 5 “Dental instrumentation and equipment,” introduces most of the common hand and power equipment used in basic veterinary dentistry but gives few details that would help a first-time buyer make an informed investment. Maintenance is mentioned but not well explained. For example, it is noted that scalers and curettes need to be sharpened regularly, but there is no clear direction on how to achieve this. There is also no mention that the oil in an oil-cooled compressor needs to be changed annually. The few paragraphs on radiography equipment are redundant as this information was presented in Chapter 2.
Chapters 6 through 10 cover most of the dental pathology seen in general practice. Conditions are well explained and illustrated with clinical photographs, radiographs, and professional artwork. As well as clinical signs and diagnosis, the significance to the patient and treatment options are outlined. For many conditions, details of how to perform the treatment (such as endodontic therapy) are well beyond the scope of this book but the reader will at least know what sorts of treatments are indicated and can then seek appropriate referral.
Chapter 11 “Dental surgical procedures,” is a detailed photographic essay, well supported by text, on extraction technique. While this reviewer prefers different flaps designs and suture patterns, those shown are well accepted as appropriate and widely taught by many experts.
While some of the chapters in this manual are a bit weak, most (1,4,6–11) are excellent within the limitations of the scope of this manual. The high quality of most of the illustrations and the broad range of conditions discussed would make this a good first dental text for new graduates and practices just starting to develop their dental departments. For readers that already have an introductory book or two on the shelf, there is not enough new here to justify the purchase.