Book Review
Endodontics:
Principles and
Practice
Edited by Mahmound Torabinejad and
Richard E. Walton. Philadelphia:
Saunders Elsevier. 4th edition. 2009.
474 pages.
Endodontics: Principles and Practice is
a textbook written for dental students and
general dentists and contains the information
necessary for those who would like to integrate
endodontics in their practice. This new edition
succeeds the previous ones published in 1989,
1996, and 2002. It is a completely diverse and
concise text. Some chapters of the third edition
such as Scope of Undergraduate Teaching in
Endodontic Education, When and How to Re-
fer, Patient Education, and Differential Diagno-
sis of Orofacial Pain have been either excluded
or incorporated within others. The 4th edition
consists of 23 chapters provided by past and
new contributors. The editors authored 14
chapters including Geriatric Endodontics,
which is not a common topic in general end-
odontic textbooks. According to the editors,
the intention of the textbook is to ‘‘incorporate
evidence-based information when available
and when appropriate.’’ The content includes
the following subjects: embryology, conserva-
tive treatment of the pulp, pulp pathosis and
periradicular disease, microbiology, diagnosis
and treatment planning, endo-perio interrela-
1066 Book Review
tionship, longitudinal tooth fractures, local an-
esthesia, emergencies and therapeutics,
trauma, radiology, internal anatomy, end-
odontic techniques including for nonsurgical
and surgical treatments, tooth restoration,
prevention and treatment of procedural acci-
dents, endodontic outcomes, internal-external
bleaching, geriatric endodontics, and a chap-
ter with review questions.
There are quite a few sections in the
book that justify additional reference. For
instance, the first and second chapters The
Dental Pulp and Periradicular Tissues and
Protecting the Pulp, Preserving the Apex
have been completely revised regarding cur-
rent concepts and their superior reorganiza-
tion of images. The Appendix B: Chapter
Review Questions includes a sequence of
questions for each of the chapters created
not only to test the reader’s comprehension
of the material but also to ensure that impor-
tant concepts from each chapter are
highlighted. Overall, the current chapters
carry advanced information regarding new
scientific and technological advances in the
field of endodontics, modern biologic
concepts, and renovated illustrations.
This edition contains 543 color images
and 461 black and white photos and radio-
graphs. There is also the addition of an
electronic resource that can be used as
a teaching tool, which includes a video collec-
tion of endodontic procedures produced at
Loma Linda University and interactive review
questions for each chapter. In general, the
superiority of this interactive material is excel-
lent and makes this edition distinctive. The
other unique features are the new trim size
of the book, updated relevant and recent
references, and a revised table of contents.
These features provide the reader with a text-
book that is concise, current, and easy to fol-
low in an interactive manner. The new format
is interestingly interactive and provides the
readers the opportunity to learn the scope
of the current philosophy and exercise of
endodontics. Moreover, the addition of an
appendix containing self-assessment ques-
tions ensures that the reader understands
the purpose of the writers and assesses the
knowledge of the reader.
In summary, the information provided is
contemporary and has been systematically
organized to stimulate the order of proce-
dures during the educational process. The ini-
tiative created by the accessible electronic
resource makes this edition very appealing.
It is an important addition to the accessible
pool of textbooks in dentistry and should be
taken as a great contribution for dental
students and general practitioners.
Reviewed by Fabricio B.
Teixeira, DDS, MS, PhD
University of Texas,
Health Science Center at San Antonio
San Antonio, TX
E-mail address: Teixeira@uthscsa.edu.
10.1016/j.joen.2009.04.001
JOE — Volume 35, Number 7, July 2009