Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

7Book ReviewMay 2014United Kingdom Edition All You need is „u“ • Dual-curing universal adhesive • Self-etch, selective-etch or total-etch – the choice is yours! • Outstanding versatility of application – for direct or indirect restorations – fully compatible with all light-curing, dual-curing and self-curing composites – without additional activator – secure adhesion to various materials such as metal, zirconium and aluminium oxide, as well as silicate ceramics – without additional primer • Applied in one layer – just 35 seconds total working time Futurabond® u From now on please order Futurabond U only! 170784 Take advantage of current offers!* *Find all current offers on www.voco.com Total-Etch Bond Self-Etch Bond Dual-Cure Activator Application brushes Ceramic primer Metal primer Zircon primer Glazing 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 Sender, practice stamp neW VOCO GmbH · Anton-Flettner-Straße 1-3 · 27472 Cuxhaven · Germany · Tel. +49 4721 719-0 · www.voco.com For more information please contact: Gregory Parmenter 07500 769 613 · info-uk@voco.com VOCO_DentalTribune-UK_Mar14_Futurabond U_210x297.indd 1 06.02.2014 14:20:03 Dental Foundation Training A review of Amit Rai’s book by James Bannister B lind spots tend to go un- noticed until it’s rather too late. Take choosing a ca- reer – most people would agree that to enter into a profession, one has to take a relevant course at university. Which is true, for the most part (apprenticeships are an oft overlooked alternative), but then comes the big question: what happens between university and that first job? Like a movie with a missing scene, people of- ten just assume there’s a jump cut from graduation to the start of your chosen career. In truth, it’s a lot more complicated than that; no less so in Dentistry. Dental Foundation Training: The essential handbook for foun- dation dentists is precisely that: an essential handbook detailing quite literally everything you will need to know during your transi- tion from undergraduate study to unsupervised performance. The book employs a very thor- ough, concise writing style not dissimilar to a journal article, and wastes no time in bringing the reader up to speed on the details of foundation training – one is quickly informed of what it is, its purpose and how to secure a place on the scheme. Substantial detail is also provided on its technicali- ties, such as the role of your su- pervisor and what to do if you miss asession.Thissurvivalguideaspect tothebook’snatureshinesthrough- out – one tip later on to set up a code word with your nurse to alert a supervisor mid-procedure particularly struck me as invalu- able advice. After detailing the purpose of foundation training, the book goes on to describe general den- tal practice with particular re- spect to NHS dentistry, complete with a checklist of things to do in preparation for your first day of practice. Chapters 3, 4 and 5 are dedicated to describing the teach- ing process, curriculum and as- sessment involved in foundation training, and the latter half of the book discuss the future following foundation training – potential career paths, dento-legal consid- erations (with a particular focus on how to avoid being sued) and a general survival guide for your years as a foundation dentist. In- deed, the advice given in these last few chapters has universal application, such as how to re- spond to a complaint not just in terms of formal proceedings, but in terms of personal development and growth. Equal parts textbookandsylla- bus, Dental Foundation Training acts as a catch-all guide to a year of functional dental training, pro- viding advice on every step of your journey from university into the dental profession (including a substantial portion on potential career paths following training). However, while comparatively easy to read, the scientific journal writing style may not appeal to all readers. Abbreviations are ubiq- uitous, for example, and it can prove challenging to memorise every single one. While there is an abbreviations section to help with this, it merely adds a secondary problem of having to constantly flick back-and-forth in order to make sense of some sentences. Overall, the type of reader that would benefit from this most would be a graduate dental stu- dent keen to make the most of theircareer.Thebookisfilledwith good advice, and acts as a consolidated library of in- formation regarding train- ing, development, and the subsequent career possibili- ties for dentists. I would stop just short of calling it “essential,” but it’s nothing less than invaluable.DT Book info Dental Foundation Training: the es- sential handbook for foundation den- tists by Amit Rai. ISBN: 9781846199974 Available from Radcliffe Health at £29.99. Go to http://www.radcliffe- health.com/ to order a copy