Abstract
This Manual is from the series produced by the British Small Animal Veterinary Association. As with all their manuals, it is well-produced, full of colour illustrations, and with a host of international authors with appropriate credentials. The book is aimed at the general practitioner, is easy to read, and makes good use of tables, photos, and radiographs.
The chapters cover a range of subjects relating to dentistry. Chapter titles include: orodental anatomy and physiology; oral and dental diagnostics; anaesthesia and analgesia, operator safety and health considerations; dental instrumentation and equipment; developmental oral and dental conditions; canine infectious, inflammatory and immune-mediated oral conditions; feline inflammatory, infectious and other oral conditions; physical orodental conditions; other oral and dental conditions; dental surgical procedures; appendix of conversion tables; and an index.
In general, I liked this book. There were some areas of specific concern for feline practitioners, and some areas well done.
The chapter on diagnostics, where radiography is discussed, did not discuss the alternative methods for radiographing the maxillary cheek teeth in cats, which is a significant problem for general practitioners, and specialists, alike.
The chapter on anaesthesia had two areas of specific concern. The first was the dependence on indirect blood pressure monitoring (controversial in cats), and the second the description of, or local for placement of some of the local anaesthetic blocks. Some site descriptions were dog-specific. An example would be the location of the middle mental foramen, described as being at the level of the mandibular second premolar. Cats do not have a mandibular second premolar, their middle mental foramen is located under the lip frenulum, and placement of this block is controversial in cats (and small dogs) due to the possibility of iatrogenic nerve damage.
The section on developmental oral and dental conditions was very complete, with extensive photographs, unfortunately, only two of these were feline. There is an extensive sub-section on common malocclusions found in dogs, but no similar description of feline problems.
On the plus side, the author did justice to the broad swath of feline inflammatory, infectious, and other conditions. Gingivitis and periodontal disease, odontoclastic resorptive lesions, super-eruption of canine teeth, stomatitis, and eosinophilic granuloma complex are covered. Whole chapters could be written on all of these subjects, but the information is kept to a practical, general-practitioner level.
Oral tumours and neoplasia are well covered, and are feline specific, in a later chapter.
In general, I think this book is easy to read and well written. Its information is extensive for a veterinarian who treats both dogs and cats. There are some areas, which are less feline-appropriate, but in general this manual is an excellent general information source.