DEPARTMENT OF REVIEWS AND ABSTRACTS

Edited by Alex Jacobson, DMD, MS, MDS, PhD Birmingham, Ala.

All inquiries regarding information on reviews and abstracts shouM be directed to the respective authors. Articles or books for review in this department should be addressed to Dr. Alex Jacobson, University of Alabama School of Dentistry, University Station/Birmingham, Alabama 35294.

Biological Mechanisms of Tooth Eruption and Root Resorption Zeev Davidovitch (editor) Birmingham: EBSCO Media, 1988. 401 pages, soft cover

This book is a collection of 43 papers presented at an international conference on "The Biological Mech- anisms of Tooth Eruption and Root Resorption," April 28-30, 1988, in Columbus, Ohio. This conference was dedicated to Jerry D. Niswander.

The book begins with two review papers on tooth eruption and root resorption. Both papers provide com- prehensive up-to-date overviews of these topics and serve as an excellent introduction to the conference proceedings. The remainder of the papers are divided into three broad categories.

The first of these categories is a collection of 15 papers that discuss the developmental, cellular, and mo- lecular biology of the tissues and cells of the periodon- tium. These include papers on extracellular matrix, cell interactions, bone formation, and resorption and tooth development.

The second category focuses on tooth eruption. These 14 papers cover a wide variety of issues related to tooth eruption mechanisms. The various theories of tooth eruption are reevaluated in light of recent exper- imental data.

The final section of the book deals with root re- sorption. Although the focus of this section is primarily the osteoclast, resorption is examined from both phys- iologic and pathologic perspectives.

In summary, Dr. Davidovitch and his organizing committee are to be congratulated for bringing together a group of investigators to discuss two interrelated fields of dental research. The papers are all current, well written, and serve as an excellent base from which future research directions should evolve. Although this book will be of most interest to those involved in biomedical research, it will also be an excellent ref- erence source for graduate students and clinicians in- terested in these two areas of dental research.

Huw F. Thomas

A Different Design of Palatal Lift Appliance: Review and Case Reports M. H. Spratley, H. J. Chenerey, and B. E. Murdoch Aust. Dent. J. 1988;33:491-5

Apart from cleft palate, velopharyngeal incompe- tence can be caused by traumatic injuries to the neu- romotor system and/or peripheral efferent cranial nerves, cerebrovascular accidents, brain stem tumors, and neuromuscular diseases such as multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy. The prime clinical effect of this incompetence is an escape of air, resulting in nasal speech that may be unintelligible.

Palatal lift protheses designed to manage velopha- ryngeal incompetence generally comprise a palate with a rigid extension most often made from acrylic. The appliance described by the authors comprises a palatal appliance with Adam cribs to the upper first molar to aid retention and a spring-hinged posterior extension to provide oPtimal palatal life to effect velopharyngeal closure while maintaianing patient comfort during swal- lowing and allowing for nasal breathing. The appliance and techniques are clearly described and illustrated.

Alex Jacobson

Treatment Outcome Results for Consecutive TMJ Patients Glenn T. Clark, R. Francis Lanham, and Virginia F. Flack J. Craniomandib. Disorders Facial Oral Pain 1988;2:87-95

The reported results are those of a prospective study involving 100 consecutively treated patients entering a temporomandibular joint (TMJ) clinic. Before treat- ment, patients were diagnosed and assigned to one of three categories--namely, clicking, joint pain and/or restriction, and muscle pain without evidence of click- ing. Patient treatment included (1) a repositioning ap- pliance, (2) stabilization appliance and physical ther- apy, (3) physical therapy alone, or (4) no treatment.

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