Preface
This eleventh edition is the most comprehensive textbook and information resource about periodontology available anywhere. Using Elsevier’s advanced technology and high standards of quality, the international team of editors and contributors have developed a major periodontal resource intended to be used by everyone with an interest in periodontology.
Our goal in completely revising this classic textbook was to preserve the same tradition of comprehensiveness and organization that has made the book the number one choice among educators, students, clinicians, researchers, and policy makers. And, for the first time, the book will become part of Elsevier’s Expert Consult series in medicine and dentistry.
Since publication of the first edition of this book 58 years ago, periodontology has made tremendous progress. Analysis of periodontal tissues and elucidation of the mechanisms and causes of disease have extended far beyond histology and physiology and into the realm of cellular and molecular biological understanding.
New therapeutic goals and clinical techniques, based on an improved understanding of disease, have facilitated better outcomes and brought us closer to achieving the ultimate goal of optimal periodontal health and function. Today, reconstruction and regeneration of lost periodontal structures, replacement of compromised teeth with implants, and creation of esthetic results are integral parts of clinical practice. This book is written for all individuals—from students to educators, clinicians to researchers, and specialists to generalists. It is our belief that periodontal care of the public is primarily the role of general dentists and dental hygienists. The responsibility to examine, diagnose, and either treat or refer all periodontal problems is unquestionable. Likewise, the role of periodontitis in systemic disease makes diagnosis essential and treatment imperative.
The multifaceted, complex task of producing the eleventh edition required the collaboration of numerous experts from various fields, and their contributions are invaluable.We know that this new edition will continue to be as useful to dentists, hygienists, periodontists, students, educators, and researchers as the previous editions and that it will contribute to continuous progress of our profession.