Review – Principles of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (Sixth Edition)

Principles of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Principles of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is a long established textbook focussing on the surgical aspects of dentistry. The book covers a variety of topics including pain control, trauma and oral surgery. With nearly 350 pages, this textbook covers most areas in sufficient depth for dental students.

Now into its sixth edition, the textbook has had time to build on previous success. This version includes updated techniques and skills, as well as including a chapter on implant dentistry. Many dental/medical textbooks have a habit of becoming overly detailed and difficult to read, but this isn’t the case with this textbook. Each chapter is well laid out with clear headings and subheadings, as well as being short and simple to understand.

The book also features clear tables and diagrams, as well as colour photographs which help demonstrate procedures in relation to the text. This is seen particularly well when different instruments and techniques are described. Additionally, at the end of each chapter, there are suggested references for any further reading you may wish to do. Having utilised the book a fair bit, it can be said, however, that there are potentially areas where further diagrams/images could be used to enhance the content.

One large area that this textbook does fall short of, in comparison to others, is that there are no questions or quizzes. One thing I like to see in textbooks is some form of self-assessment at the end of a chapter or as you go along. There isn’t anything like this in this textbook despite it being comprehensive in subject matter.

Now to the price – always the biggest thing when considering purchasing dental textbooks! The book is available for roughly £40 which isn’t bad when considering the usual price of other textbooks in the same field. However, for some, it may seem a little pricey for the content especially if you are after a self-assessment aspect.

Overall, Principles of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is a largely well-rounded textbook covering a variety of subjects in adequate detail for any dental undergraduate, and maybe even some graduates. Although lacking a self-assessment aspect, the book is clear and easy to read whilst not sacrificing important content and details.