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McMinn's Color Atlas of Head and Neck Anatomy
McMinn's Color Atlas of Head and Neck Anatomy is the foremost specialist atlas of the anatomy of the head and neck. Since its first publication in 1981, the thoroughness and detail with which the anatomy of the head and neck region is covered in this high quality resource have ensured that it is required reading for dental students in the UK and worldwide. This new 4th edition retains the content and format of the 3rd edition, supplemented by additional pages on developmental and clinical topics.
The core of the atlas comprises six chapters, of which the first five (‘Skull and skull bone articulations’, ‘Cervical vertebrae and neck’, Face, orbit and eye’, ‘Nose, oral region, ear and eye’ and ‘Cranial cavity and brain’) are built around images of superb dissections. These are extensively labelled and accompanied by concise but informative text. The sixth chapter, ‘Radiographs’, utilizes the same format to illustrate the osseous and vascular anatomy of the region. There are additionally two appendices: the first, which deals with dental anaesthesia, presents the anatomical rationale underlying anaesthetic procedures; the second groups related anatomical information in useful ‘reference lists’ (for example, structures passing through the foramina of the skull).
New material is located predominantly within chapter one. Here there is a helpful two-page spread giving an ‘at a glance’ schematic representation of the stages of tooth eruption from five months in utero to full adult dentition, a set of images produced using current methods of 3D reconstruction from CT scans to illuminate the anatomical relativities of the tooth, pulp space, bone and nerve, and a remarkable exemplar of an adult skull containing 13 sutural bones. Clinical content has also been expanded. The essentials of several developmental and genetic abnormalities are summarized in illustrated text. A further informative section on craniosynostosis and its surgical solution could perhaps have been improved by a more extensive description of the conditions and surgical procedures which are mentioned here. There is also a new set of histological images of dental tissue, which may require reference to a histological textbook to be fully understood by the beginner.
Layout throughout this text, whilst generally good, is sometimes a little crowded, possibly leading to some confusion. A few images are a little on the small side, and this may create difficulty in identifying individual structures. All in all, however, the new material in McMinn's Color Atlas of Head and Neck Anatomy improves what was already an excellent resource. This atlas will continue to prove an invaluable purchase for undergraduate and postgraduate dental students, dental professionals, and for all those for whom a mastery of the complex anatomy of the head and neck is a pre-requisite.