Small Animal Dental, Oral and Maxillofacial Disease: A Colour Handbook PDF

Preface

This book is designed to be a quick reference for practitioners to identify the common oral pathologies in the dog and cat. All pathologies are demonstrated by typical photographic and, in some cases, radiographic examples. Along with the graphic examples is a concise but complete and current description of the pathology. The description includes etiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, differential diagnoses, diagnostic tests, and treatment/management. Each topic is then summarized in easy-to-read key points. This format will make identification and initial therapy of oral diseases much more efficient.

The first three chapters set a foundation for assessing and diagnosing oral pathology. Chapter one is a review of oral anatomy and physiology. In the style of the book, this is supported with numerous full color images. Chapter two presents a stepwise guide on how to perform a proper oral examination. These techniques will allow practitioners to find the subtle pathologies listed within the book. Finally, dental radiology is presented. The first part of chapter three discusses proper techniques for obtaining quality dental radiographs, and the latter part discusses proper diagnosis of dental radiographs with high-quality digital images.

Following this introduction, the book is presented by anatomic areas, to ease identification of unknown pathology. These areas include problems with the: teeth; gingiva; oral mucosa; bones, muscles, and joints; and salivary glands. Individual chapters have been created for pediatric oral/dental problems and malignant oral neoplasia. These unique topics are presented separately from the anatomical chapters to decrease time spent scanning the other chapters. Using this efficient format, if a patient under about 9 months is presented, the practitioner should only have to go beyond the pediatric chapter on rare occasions. Furthermore, if presented with a novel pathology, the practitioner may not know the name of the disease process, thereby making an index much less useful. By directly targeting the chapter which deals with that area of the mouth (for example the lesion is on the tooth), the practitioner can quickly scan just a few pathologies until he/she finds a picture that looks like the lesion in question. Then, in just a few minutes, the reader can learn all about the disease process, including what tests should be run to confirm the diagnosis as well as how best to manage it. Even experienced practitioners will benefit from the cutting edge information in this book.

In addition, the succinct and practical style of this volume lends itself to be a client-friendly education tool. The veterinarian can use this peer-reviewed book to back up their management recommendations. This is critically important in veterinary dentistry, as most pathologies do not have obvious clinical signs that owners recognize (fractured teeth for example). The prudent practitioner will encourage clients to read the brief description of their pet's particular pathology, thus improving client compliance with treatment recommendations. Since dental disease is present in almost all veterinary patients, I would consider having a copy in each exam room. This will aid all dental related discussions.

This book makes numerous treatment recommendations, but it is not a technical manual. For those practitioners interested in improving their technical skills, I recommend Veterinary Dental Techniques, 3rd edn, by Holmstrom SE, Frost P, and Eisner ER (eds), Saunders, 2004. However, these techniques (including dental radiology) are best learned through hands-on training at wetlabs. For a list of my wetlabs in San Diego, visit www.sdvdtc.com.