Textbook Guide - Dentistry
Many questions we get from first years concern textbooks. "What should I get?" "What books are we required to have?" In short, the university does not mandate which books you should have, but departments have usually have recommended list of book on the syllabus. Some courses take questions word from word from textbooks (e.g. Histology).
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This guide aims to introduce to a variety of textbooks that are available and what previous students find useful. Note the textbook guide contains many personal opinions and a textbook not deemed useful for students can be helpful for another. Most of the textbooks listed below can be found in the library.
Year 1
Medical Subjects
Anatomy
The list of textbooks recommended by the anatomy department can be found here.
Clinically Oriented Anatomy by Moore
This is the textbook used by the anatomy department for this course. They say that theory questions are derived from this book. The blue clinical boxes are of more importance to medical students, and are rarely examined in the dentistry course.​
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Pros:
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This is the go-to textbook for all things anatomy, for first-year and clinical years.
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Great summary tables
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Colorful images
Cons:
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Pictures are all drawn and not cadavers
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There is a lot of detail, and a big book
Tip:
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Essential Clinical Anatomy by Moore is much shorter and contains all of the essential information you need. It is much easier to read through
Snell's Clinical Neuroanatomy
As Moore does not have a dedicated CNS section, the department recommended this as a textbook for the unit.​
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Pros:
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If you choose the right section to read it can be more helpful than Moore in this unit
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Cons:
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For a dental student who will not go very in depth for CNS anatomy, the book is long and has more content than what you need
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The book assumes a slight level of background knowledge of neuroanatomy
Color Atlas of Anatomy by Rohen
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Pros:
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Filled with A4 cadaveric pictures
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Good correlation with cadavers - good for studying for pins
Cons:
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Cannot be used on its own, no theory information
Tip:
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No atlas is a replacement for using the cadavers in class!
Atlas ot Human Anatomy by Netter​
Pros:
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Nice drawn and nicely labelled pictures
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Very helpful for studying pins before looking at cadavers or comparing with models
Cons:​
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Lack of cadaver pictures
Tip:
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Netter's Head and Neck Anatomy for Dentistry is a book that contains images in the same style and format as the Atlas of Human Anatomy, but with a very heavy focus for Head and Neck designed for dental students. It also contains clinical correlations in dentistry (e.g. anesthesia). It has a small chapter going through anatomy outside head and neck (e.g. thorax, abdomen, upper and lower limb) but is insufficient in the anatomy course to use only that chapter.
Teach Me Anatomy
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​Lacks the detail of Moore's but is a must use for the course. The website is set out efficiently and the diagrams focus on the most important details. Very useful if you want a quick review before lab classes.
Histology & Embryology
Color Textbook of Histology by Gartner
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Pros:
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Completely comprehensive for the course
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All of your exam questions come from this textbook, often word-for-word so it is highly recommended to not deviate from this text
Cons:
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Very text heavy, and can be difficult to work through.
Tip:
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Pay attention to text that is in bold, it is usually important
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There are always a few questions coming from clinical correlation boxes
Langman's Medical Embryology
In the histology course for dentistry, embryology questions come from:​
- Chapter 1-6, 8-9 covering general embryology
- Chapter 17 covering Head and Neck (only for dentistry students)
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Pros:
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All your embryology questions come from this textbook
Cons:
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You will not use most of this textbook. The embryology component of Histology comes from ~8 chapters
Tip:
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Use a BRS or online resources, Embryology can be confusing.
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With the exception of a few lectures covering the first few chapters, you are required to self-study this book. Start early as reading and absorbing information can take a while.
Essentials of Oral Histology and Embryology by Chiego
The department lists this book as required for dentistry, stating questions from this book can be examined. There used to be a separate dentistry part on histology exams a while back which was removed; since then, questions have not been coming out of this book in recent years. There are a few lectures covering a few chapters from the book, but in general this book is not used in classes. ​
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Pros:
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Colorful pictures and diagrams
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Useful for studying oral and tooth histology in the future
Cons:
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There's already a lot of stuff from histology and embryology, there really isn't time to read this book
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Hard to find - second handed books are rare, and sometimes the bookstore does not have it in stock (it is avaliable at the WUM library, you just can't borrow it)
Year 2
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Medical Subjects
Physiology with elements of Pathophysiology
Guyton & Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology
The textbook used by the department.​
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Pros:
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Very in-depth explanations so you need some knowledge before throwing yourself into Guyton
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Trustworthy resource for higher years
Cons:
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It is very heavy, and a beast of a textbook. It can be overwhelming for those with minimal background knowledge or find reading boring.
Tip:
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There is a pocket companion that you can get - according to the teacher, you may read the pocket companion if you want a passing grade, but for a higher grade you should still read the big book
Biochemistry
Lippincott's Illustrated Review Series
Book used by the department. Lectures and seminars are based off of this book, as well as exam questions.
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Pros:
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Perfect amount of detail presented in a concise way
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Easy to understand
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Will get you through these subjects
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Can be useful when the lecturer's slides are too confusing
Cons:
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These subjects can be conceptually difficult and it will take a lot of work to get through them
Microbiology and Oral Microbiology
Essential Microbiology for Dentistry by Samaranayake
The textbook used by the department.​ Lecture and seminar slides are based off this book, and exam questions come directly from the professor's slides. Therefore it is recommended not to deviate from this book.
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Pros
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Written for dental students, so lots of clinical applications with dentistry
Sketchy Micro
A interesting way to study microbiology if you prefer image based recall, especially in a subject that requires lots of memorization. Some people find it very effective, although some find it the opposite. If you watch the videos, the narrator is quick entertaining.
Pre-Clinical Dental
Subjects
...and beyond
Medical Subjects
Make sure to also check out other dentistry books here.
Dental Material
Craig's Restorative Dental Materials
Recommended reading by the department. This book is also used in some lectures for Biophysics (1st Year).
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Pros:
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Nice resource to self study, particularly when the teacher doesn't provide a lot of resources for the exam
Cons:
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Can be hard to read, especially if you don't have a good background in materials science and chemistry
Prosthodontics &
Physiology of the Mastigatory Organ
Wheeler's Dental Anatomy, Physiology, and Occlusion​
This book is where the tooth anatomy part of the 2nd year prosthodontics course is based on. However, studying the slides supplied by the teacher should be enough.
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Pros:
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Nice diagrams with multiple angles/views to visualize tooth
Cons:
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Very, very, very detailed - with the amount of class time given you will not have enough time to digest all that (the chapter on incisors anatomy is 30 pages alone). However, studying the slides should be enough.
Fundamentals of Fixed Prosthodontics by Shillingburg
Recommended reading by the department for the fixed dentures / summer semester of the 3rd year course (taught by the Department of Dental Propedeutics and Prophylaxis).​
Pros
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Very detailed diagrams - great to visualize tooth preparation for crowns and bridges
Cons
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Lack of photos, mainly black and white diagrams
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Quite wordy, some people find learning from youtube is easier
Year 3
Medical Subjects
Pathomorphology
Robbins Basic Pathology​
Having this textbook and studying from the slides (which is based off this textbook) will be enough to get a decent grade in this course.
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Pros:
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This textbook is your bible for Pathomorphology, everything from the exams comes straight from here
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Pairs nicely with the lectures
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Useful diagrams
Cons:
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Very detailed, may be overwhelming for some students
Pathoma
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Pros:
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Very easy to follow and much simpler than Robbins
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Useful when it comes to reviewing the material for exams
Cons:
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Exam questions come from the main textbook and this should be the primary resource
Tips:
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Pathoma has also released lecture videos which are very useful if you do not like to read
Pharmacology
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Basic & Clinical Pharmacology by Katzung
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Pros:
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Very detailed information and is considered the best pharmacology textbook
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A lot of tables throughout the textbook - can be very helpful for last minute studying
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Lectures from each class usually corresponds to a specific chapter in the book, and can be helpful if the slides are bad or not clear
Cons:
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Pharmacology is already pretty boring to study from a textbook, and this one is very long and detailed
Tips:
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You can get away with learning all of your pharmacology information from SketchyPharm if you learn better this way
Dental
Subjects
Dental Radiology
Essentials of Dental Radiography and Radiology by Whaites​
Textbook used by the department. You are recommended to read the textbook very closely as the theory exam is based on this book
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Pros:
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Easy to understand diagrams and pictures
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Easy to read, chapters are short and manageable
Cons:
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The book is based off of UK regulations, so you need to read up on EU regulations regarding radiation protection and quality assessment in radiographs
Exercises in Oral Radiology and Interpretation by Langlais​
Supplemental textbook used by the department. The anatomy part of the colloquium in 3rd year is taken entirely on questions and images in the 'Normal Anatomy' chapter. If you memorize all ~70 radiographs and their anatomical structures you can score full on that part.
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Pros:
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The book has a lot of questions to practice from - both MCQ and short answer
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The anatomy part of the test is completely based off one chapter in the book
Periodontology
Periodontology - The Essentials by Müller​
The textbook used by the department.
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Pros:
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Small, pocket book design - making it easy to study on the bus
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Concise information
Cons:
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Information for some topics may not be enough due to it's concise nature, it's best to find a supplemental textbook
Prosthodontics
Fundamentals of Prosthodontics, Medical University of Warsaw​
One of the few English scripts available for EDD students. It is recommended to read the book fully as all lectures/seminars taught by the Department of Dental Prosthetics (3rd-5th year) are from the book.
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Pros:
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Written for WUM students
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Not overly wordy, easy to read, short and concise
Cons:
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In some parts the English wording may be a bit confusing
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Pediatric Dentistry
Handbook of Pediatric Dentistry by Cameron
Although this is the textbook listed for the Pediatric Dentistry course from 2nd to 5th year, the majority of the exam questions come from the script written by the university that is only available in Polish. The 2nd year course asks students to read this book to be prepared for seminars, but in the other years this book isn't really used in classes.​
Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics
No specific textbook is used by the departments, but the recommended textbooks listed in the syllabus will be mentioned.
Sturdevant's Art and Science of Operative Dentistry
Recommended textbook for classes in the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics.
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Pros:
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Chapters are divided based on caries classes and restoration material - easy to read if you know what kind of filling and cavity you are doing beforehand
Essentials of Operative Dentistry by Sherwood
Recommended reading for the 2nd year conservative dentistry and endodontics modules as part of the Integrated Pre-Clinical Education course.
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Pros:
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Chapters are divided based on caries classes and restoration material - easy to read if you know what kind of filling and cavity you are doing beforehand
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Point form may be easier to read to some
Cons:
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Not really used in the course; lectures and seminars are not based on it
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Lots of content, may be overwhelming to some
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Not really designed for a 2nd year course
Clinical Endodontics by Tronstead
Recommended reading for the 2nd year endodontics module as part of the Integrated Pre-Clinical Education course
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Pros:
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Short and concise
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Chapter on canal and root morphology along with the diagrams are very helpful for future reference
Oral Surgery
No specific textbook is used by the department, but the recommended textbooks listed in the syllabus will be mentioned.
Contemporary Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery by Hupp
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Pros:
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Starts from the basics - such as positioning of yourself and materials used in oral surgery (helpful if you have lack of guidance from the doctors)
