Clinical Cases in Orthodontics

MARTYN T. COBOURNE, BDS, MSC, PHD
PADHRAIG S. FLEMING, BDS, MSC
ANDREW T. DIBIASE, BDS, MSC
SOFIA AHMAD, BDS, MSC

448 pages. $94.99. 2012.
Wiley-Blackwell, 111 River St., Hoboken, NJ 07030.
(877) 762-2974; www.wiley.com.

Take a moment and reflect back to your residency, then ask yourself what were the times when you felt you had the most fun while learning--the times when the mechanics being taught made sense, and you were able to relate the concepts to an actual clinical situation. For me, it was when the adjunct faculty would bring well-documented cases from their private practices and walk through real patients' orthodontic needs from beginning to end. As a visual learner, I found this was where education reached its pinnacle.

Clinical Cases in Orthodontics does exactly that: it demonstrates important treatment scenarios through the use of clinical cases with excellent photography and documentation. The text is divided into 11 chapters that cover every essential therapeutic modality, from mixeddentition cases to Class II treatment to more complex cases involving impactions, skeletal anchorage, surgery, and craniofacial anomalies. Every chapter comprises six to 19 cases (the majority more than 10), each structured just like a resident seminar. The author presents pretreatment records and a medical history and then asks the reader a series of case-pertinent questions. These are followed by a detailed presentation of the actual etiology, diagnosis, treatment planning, mechanics, and results.

Dr. Cobourne points out in the preface that his book is aimed at dental students, orthodontic residents preparing for board examinations, and dental professionals desiring a broader understanding of clinical orthodontics. Although the target audience may not have been seasoned orthodontists, the complexity of the cases and the modalities used to treat them will, in fact, provide practicing clinicians with a number of different perspectives and ideas on how to treat the patients who present in their offices every day.

Overall, this text is exceptional. The authors' pragmatic approach and outstanding documentation will keep readers engaged as they learn not only how to treat a particular type of case, but why. Highly recommended.

MICHAEL MERU, DDS