It is not often that a new book focusing on nutrition and aimed at people related to the field of odontology appears on the market. With the close interplay that is currently recognized between oral health and nutrition-related factors, a book of this kind is potentially of great value and can play an important role in understanding the often medically complex patient. Many medical problems are known to be of multifactorial origin, and it is currently well known that good oral health is important for good general health, as well as the other way around.
According to the author, this book is aimed at dental assistant students, dental hygiene students and practising clinicians. It is said to be designed in such a way that “the study of nutrition can be individualized depending on the depth of instruction required for the different classes of students or the specific need of the patient”.
The contents are arranged into six sections, which are in turn divided into different chapters. The first introductory part of the book is fairly short, but it spans a large range covering topics such as food choices, the food pyramid and the digestive system. The major nutrients are dealt with in section 2, while section 3 focuses on the relationship of diet and nutrition with the two main oral diseases, dental caries and periodontal disease. Although the relationship between nutrition and saliva is touched upon, this part could have been expanded. Section 4 covers food guidelines, including chapters about choosing foods wisely and reading labels. The order of the chapters is puzzling, as section 5 once again deals with biology and covers food for growth, with more detailed facts relating to nutrient needs for the development, growth and maintenance of oral structures. The last part, section 6, focuses on eating disorders, nutritional counselling and special nutritional needs. Each chapter includes activities that are designed to enable the reader to work with the information and help to promote practical application. For this purpose, a section called ‘Putting this into practice’ and a ‘Chapter quiz’ are included. The first of these focuses, for example, on a patient case or suggest a practical application, while the latter consists of a multiple-choice questionnaire. The majority of chapters have references included in the text, although the selection of some references could be questioned. The information in the further reading sections and recommended websites included at the end of each chapter is of great help to the reader who would like to learn more.
The level of ambition of the book is high. However, while some chapters may add new knowledge from both a student and a professional perspective, others are somewhat mediocre. Although the author appears to have made an effort to keep the language simple and explain the various relationships in a straightforward manner, this makes parts of the text less interesting and underestimates the intellectual level of the reader. Moreover, the pedagogical help from the simplified text on the enclosed laminated reference card, which is designed to be used at the chairside during patient education, to help patients to associate daily nutrition with dental caries and periodontal disease, may be questioned. The overall impression is that, while the book may suit an absolute beginner in the field, it appears to have less to offer the reader looking for more detailed and in-depth analysis.