The Toothwrights' Tale tells the history of dentistry in the Royal Navy through the eyes of those who worked for the service, drawing on first-hand accounts. It begins at a time when technological advances were leading the world into a dangerous and uncertain era; nuclear proliferation, terrorism and interstate quarrels challenged policy makers and strategists. Born of such tensions was the Falklands Conflict in which no less than 14 RN dental officers were deployed in the ships of the Task Force and with the Royal Marines, and the book includes a number of gripping eyewitness accounts. The end of the Cold War gave momentary hope in 1989 for a more peaceful world but, within a couple of years, Operation Granby, the First Gulf War, introduced new military alliances and new military challenges.

Behavioral Dentistry, Second Edition, surveys the vast and absorbing topic of the role of behavioral science in the study and clinical practice of dentistry. An understanding of social sciences has long been a central part of dental education, and essential for developing a clinician’s appreciation of human behavior as it affects efficient dental treatment. This book gathers together contributions from leading experts in each of the major subspecialties of behavioral dentistry. Its aim is not merely to provide the student and clinician with a comprehensive review of the impressive literature or discussion of the theoretical background to the subject, but also with a practical guide to adapting the latest techniques and protocols and applying them to day-to-day clinical practice. This second edition of Behavioral Dentistry discusses biobehavioral processes, including the psychobiology of inflammation and pain, oral health and quality of life, saliva health, and hypnosis in dentistry. The book goes on to examine anxiety, fear, and dental and chronic orofacial pain, and then reviews techniques for designing and managing behavior change. It concludes with a section on professional practice, including care of special needs, geriatric, and diabetic patients, and interpersonal communication in dental education.

ABSTRACT: Helping patients achieve an optimal quality of life through patient-centered treatment planning should be the ultimate goal of all oral health care providers. However, this issue extends beyond the realm of the individual clinician's office. This text presents quality-of-life research from various fields, including psychology, public health, and general health care; discusses how a patient-centered approach can be applied to basic oral and craniofacial research, clinical dental practice, community dental health issues, and dental education; and addresses how oral health-related quality of life relates to treating and understanding different patient populations, such as children with special needs, medically compromised patients, patients with oral cancer, and patients with chronic facial pain. Also discussed is how factors such as race/ethnicity, gender, and age can affect oral health-related quality-of-life concerns and treatment strategies. Finally, the book offers an outlook on the role that oral health-related quality of life will play in future research and dental education.

An NPR Best Book of 2017 "[Teeth is] . . . more than an exploration of a two-tiered system—it is a call for sweeping, radical change." —New York Times Book Review "Show me your teeth," the great naturalist Georges Cuvier is credited with saying, "and I will tell you who you are." In this shattering new work, veteran health journalist Mary Otto looks inside America's mouth, revealing unsettling truths about our unequal society. Teeth takes readers on a disturbing journey into America's silent epidemic of oral disease, exposing the hidden connections between tooth decay and stunted job prospects, low educational achievement, social mobility, and the troubling state of our public health. Otto's subjects include the pioneering dentist who made Shirley Temple and Judy Garland's teeth sparkle on the silver screen and helped create the all-American image of "pearly whites"; Deamonte Driver, the young Maryland boy whose tragic death from an abscessed tooth sparked congressional hearings; and a marketing guru who offers advice to dentists on how to push new and expensive treatments and how to keep Medicaid patients at bay. In one of its most disturbing findings, Teeth reveals that toothaches are not an occasional inconvenience, but rather a chronic reality for millions of people, including disproportionate numbers of the elderly and people of color. Many people, Otto reveals, resort to prayer to counteract the uniquely devastating effects of dental pain. Otto also goes back in time to understand the roots of our predicament in the history of dentistry, showing how it became separated from mainstream medicine, despite a century of growing evidence that oral health and general bodily health are closely related. Muckraking and paradigm-shifting, Teeth exposes for the first time the extent and meaning of our oral health crisis. It joins the small shelf of books that change the way we view society and ourselves—and will spark an urgent conversation about why our teeth matter.