"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease." - Thomas A. Edison

This book is aimed at the dentist with an interest in complementary medicine, but it is also for the complementary therapist with an interest in dentistry. It is not necessarily assumed that the reader attracted to the book has a detailed knowledge of complementary therapies and for this reason it may also be of interest to patients. Each chapter starts with general information on its discipline before progressing to more detail on the applications it may have in dentally related fields. This book cannot be considered to cover each discipline fully or to replace any of the larger texts in the field of complementary medicine. It should be used in conjunction with them.

The use of complementary therapies in dental practice is a new concept. There are many books on complementary medicine that occasionally touch on aspects of dentistry, however to have a single volume concentrating solely on dentistry with an overview of so many therapies is unique. I hope it is a vehicle to stimulate the dentist to enter uncharted waters, to introduce new ideas into his practice and to seek further reading in this constantly growing field.

In a book involving many authors it would be neither desirable or practical to impose complete uniformity of style. The character and presentation of each contributor is preserved as it would be if the contributors were taking part in a symposium or lecture course. Some points are repeated in various chapters. I feel this should be considered as positive reinforcement and have taken special care to include these repeats where a new point is also introduced or where a slightly different emphasis is made. At the end of each chapter there are references, a bibliography, a list of associations and details of relevant courses.

I would like to thank my wife for correcting spelling and teaching me to express myself clearly and to the staff at the Poland Street Dental Practice for their support and enthusiasm for complementary dentistry. I must thank all the contributors who are experts in their fields and have taught me so much of what I know in the world of complementary medicine. I particularly thank Stuart Ferraris for challenging and stimulating me over the years. Finally, I would like to thank the publishers for their confidence in me and their insight and help in creating this book.

PDV

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