Volume 60 Number 6 Reviews and abstracts 621

According to Muhler, in his chapter on dentifrices and oral hygiene, dentifrices containing stannous fluoride-calcium pyrophosphate are the most effective in caries prevention. Muhler discusses methods of brushing and electric toothbrushes. It is conceded by Glickman that water irrigation alone is not sufficient but is of value when used along with the toothbrush.

Roche, Professor of Graduate Pedodontics at Indiana College of Dentistry, gives sound and detailed instructions on preventive pedodontics. He still advo- cates the use of a submucous spur to guide permanent first molar eruption. This procedure was originally advocated and subsequently rejected by Willet of Peoria, Illinois, the father of preventive pedodontics. It is surprising that the method still appears in textbooks. Preventive orthodontics is presented by Burstone of the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine. Practic- ing dentists will find this a useful reference text.

J. A. Salzma?~n

Skeletal Age Prediction

A. F. Roche, S. 1. Eyman, and G. H. Davila

J. Pediatr. 78: 997-1009, June, 1971

An analysis of serial skeletal ages assessed by the methods of Greulich and Pyle and of Tanner and Whitehouse has shown that the errors of prediction are less for the Greulich-Pyle method than for that of Tanner and Whitehouse. Furthermore, when predictions are made by rectilinear extrapolation from serial skeletal ages, the errors are larger than those for predictions from singIe assessments, A simple method of prediction is described.