Reviewer: Steven Levy, DDS, MPH (University of Iowa College of Dentistry)
Description: After presenting the principles of oral epidemiology and emphasizing concepts of research design, types of studies, and analytical approaches commonly used in epidemiology and clinical studies, this book presents epidemiological principles important for studying oral diseases. This is followed by a section that summarizes the role of the fluorides in oral health and discusses research design issues in conducting studies related to fluoride use, intake, and dental fluorosis. The final section focuses on the social and ethical context of oral diseases and the importance of systems models to answer questions about oral health determinants in a comprehensive, quantitative, and qualitative analysis.
Purpose: The author states that this book is designed to "emphasize the application of epidemiological principles in oral health studies and aims to encourage readers to think critically about the results and interpretation of different types of research." This kind of book is needed for both clinicians and researchers. There are very few books that discuss epidemiological principles related to oral health; the author covers most of the stated objectives, but in varying levels of detail. It is worth noting that the author does not attempt to provide a thorough presentation of the oral epidemiological literature on disease patterns, determinants, etc., but instead presents mostly methodological information, both generally and specific to oral health.
Audience: This is suitable for people working in oral health academics, critically appraising oral health literature, and undertaking or supervising research. It also will be beneficial for people involved in planning, monitoring, and improving oral health programs and services. It also may be of value to clinicians in practice who read the literature to help them better interpret the results of diagnostic tests, assess and communicate risk and prognosis, and identify appropriate treatment for individual patients.
Features: The book covers basic concepts and definitions in epidemiology and research design, and methodological issues in the epidemiology of oral disease (i.e.., dental caries, periodontal diseases, oral cancer, other diseases and conditions, and the use of fluorides). Sociological aspects of oral epidemiology that are covered include social epidemiology, bioethics, and systems thinking. The author does a good job in the first half of the book covering basic epidemiologic and research design concepts. A number of tables, boxes, and figures summarize many of the key concepts in the epidemiology and biostatistics well. The chapters on molecular and genetic epidemiology, qualitative research, and social epidemiology will be especially helpful, since other oral health books do not cover these areas. The chapter on fluorides, however, is relatively basic. When talking about risk and causality, the author doesn't distinguish among the different types of risk factors, determinants, indicators, markers, predictors, and other nomenclature used in the epidemiology literature. This book is probably most useful for predoctoral dental students and dental hygiene students, as well as health professionals outside dentistry.
Assessment: No other books focus on oral health epidemiology, and this one is a valuable addition to the literature. Useful boxes, tables, and lists compare epidemiological terms and statistical analyses that will be especially valuable to new students of oral epidemiology. However, many of the examples in the early methods chapters are general examples; more oral health examples would have been more helpful. As it was not its goal, the text does not provide a full review of the epidemiological literature on oral diseases.
