This medical dictionary for the dental professions is a well‐organized, concise reference text. The structure shows the experience of Lippincott Williams and Wilkins in providing the Stedman's series of reference dictionaries; from the clearly marked pages to the illustrations (both photographs and diagrams) this book has been put together in the most reference effective way.
An illustrations index at the front of the text cuts out timely searches through the alphabetical organization of the pages, allowing readers speedy access to detailed professional images. A list of Consultants to the Stedman's Dictionaries provides an alphabetical contacts list (institution only) should the reader be interested in the contributors to the Stedman's series. Apart from the obvious American spellings of words and terms within this dictionary, the only other “American only” section that I could find was an associated list of dental consultants also at the front of the book.
Illustrations of specific conditions are spread throughout the book, some in colour, and others in black and white. There is a 16‐page segment of the book (situated about halfway through the text) that is dedicated to images of Oral Conditions and Disorders. This is printed on thicker paper making it easy for the book to fall open at these pages. All images are clearly labelled and arrows are used where necessary. The rear of the book provides guidelines on infection control in dental settings, common medical/dental abbreviations and detailed dental techniques with illustrations.
There is also a list of contact details for professional dental organizations throughout the USA and several other English‐speaking countries including a list for the UK. This list includes the country codes, the address and web site/e‐mail details for each organization. The appendices to the book are introduced by a contents page – for a reference text, I think this is an excellent addition as appendices can often be lengthy and not always clearly labelled. The accompanying CD‐ROM contains every term included in the print edition and has the added benefit of audio pronunciations for nearly 8,500 of these as well as all of the images that appear in the book. The CD‐ROM is easy to search and navigate and provides a useful substitute to the book itself.
Designed as a useful quick reference text, I would recommend this book to all dental professionals and students alike. My only criticism is that while the front cover and illustrated insert are both robust, the majority of the pages are too thin and would easily tear after repeated use. As this is the purpose of a reference text, it would be advisable to make the pages thicker or less easy to tear.
