Every fourth-year dental student dreads having to take Part II of the National Board Dental Examination (NBDE). After all of the courses students have had over the previous years, being tested on all the information in one exam is daunting, to say the least. With a pile of textbooks and notes to review, they do their best to weed out what is relevant for the exam and what is not. Over the past decade, several courses have been developed to aid dental students in preparing for this board exam. Unfortunately, with the rigorous schedule students endure, attending these courses on a regular basis is very difficult. To add to the obstacles, cost is a significant factor, with many courses costing hundreds of dollars. For students who cannot or choose not to take one of these courses, this book is a handy and useful resource.Mosby's Review for the NBDE Part II is a relatively comprehensive overview of topics typically covered on the exam. These include endodontics, operative dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery, pain control, oral diagnosis, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, patient management, periodontics, pharmacology, and prosthodontics. Each topic has its own chapter to keep the reader focused on the subject at hand. At the end of each chapter is a section with twenty-five sample questions for review. These questions are presented in the same writing style as the NBDE itself.The text provides more than 300 illustrations to assist in the explanations of certain items. The photos are of good quality for the most part. My biggest complaint is that they are all in black and white, which can make interpretation of some of the items difficult.Even with the very reasonable purchase price, a CD-ROM is included with this book. The CD-ROM includes a complete practice exam that simulates the experience of taking the exam. This practice exam is particularly helpful for helping students learn to time the test. Numerous case scenarios are also provided to help students with clinical application skills.While it is difficult to keep up with technology, I would like to have seen a version of the review that could be studied on a PDA. The mobility that would provide would be greatly beneficial when students are trying to steal study time wherever they can.Overall, this is an excellent resource for the student preparing for Part II of the NBDE. While it will not provide everything one needs to know to pass the exam, it is as fine a review as one will find in one location. In addition, while this is not the intent of the text, it would also be a useful refresher for someone entering dental education. At 425 pages, it is a relatively quick review for theory and terminology that new faculty members may have forgotten over time.