Sturdevant’s ART and SCIENCE of OPERATIVE DENTISTRY 2026 + Supplemental Online Chapters

It is indeed an honor to write the foreword for the eighth edition of a textbook that first appeared in 1968 and has since served as a valuable resource for generations of educators and students in Operative Dentistry. Times and materials have changed greatly since 1968. Dental amalgam, cast gold and gold foil, silicate cement, calcium hydroxide, cavity varnishes, zinc phosphate cement, and polysulfide impression material have given way to composite resin, glass ionomer restorative materials, CAD/CAM ceramics, calcium silicate and glass ionomer liners, resin bonding agents, glass ionomer and resin cements, and polyvinylsiloxane and polyether impression materials. And yet, the basic principles of Operative Dentistry—attention to detail and meticulous preparation and restoration procedures—have remained the same. Those principles are as critical now as they have ever been, and this book continues to emphasize the importance of excellent clinical technique. Chapter 1 of the first edition was titled “Operative Dentistry: Scope and Objective of Service” and included this definition: “Operative dentistry is that branch of dentistry which relates to diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment of teeth with vital or nonvital pulps, to the maintenance or restoration of the functional and physiologic integrity of the teeth as this applies to the adjacent hard and soft tissue structures of the oral cavity; and to all of the latter considerations as they apply to the general health and welfare of the patient.” This definition still applies more than 50 years later; Operative Dentistry continues to focus on diagnosis and treatment of teeth, restoring them to optimal function. But advances in the discipline and materials science allow contemporary clinicians to restore teeth more efficiently, more conservatively, and more esthetically than our predecessors were able to do in 1968. In preparing to write this foreword, I pulled out my own copy of the landscape format first edition, which was still around during my dental school years. The pages have yellowed and the binding has started to break but my highlights in the text, particularly in the chapters on rubber dam, amalgam, and cast gold inlays have survived the years. The first and eighth editions remain similar in some respects, with the new edition continuing to describe fundamental concepts of treatment planning, tooth preparation, pulp protection, instrumentation, placement and finishing of restorative materials, and isolation. But in many ways, they are quite different, reflecting the enormous progress and developments that have occurred over the years. The eighth edition provides a remarkably broad overview of the art and science of contemporary Operative Dentistry, but it continues in the tradition of the original editor, Dr. Clifford Sturdevant, and multiple editions of this textbook by exploring each topic in great depth and detail. At the time of this writing, “contemporary” has evolved and expanded into techniques and materials that could have hardly been imagined in 1968. Dr. Sturdevant and his colleagues were great visionaries, but who among them would have predicted that we could predictably bond resin-based materials to dentin, polymerize composite resins using visible light, imperceptibly match composite to adjacent tooth structure, or use computer-controlled machines to design and fabricate restorations? We can and do all of those routinely, and various chapters in this book provide the reader with what they need to know about each topic. In closing, a few words about the title of the book…. Sturdevant’s Art and Science of Operative Dentistry. Operative Dentistry is indeed a science. Look no further than Chapters 7 and 8 of this new edition to understand how much of what we do is based on science. But Operative Dentistry is also an art, as evidenced by what you will read and see in Chapters 10 and 11. And finally, Sturdevant. In looking back at previous editions of this textbook, the list of authors and editors, beginning with Dr. Cliff Sturdevant, reads like a Who’s Who of Operative Dentistry. It’s a trite metaphor, but the authors and editors of this edition truly “stand on the shoulders of giants.” For students and teachers of Operative Dentistry, I am confident that you will find this new edition to be an excellent resource as you learn and grow in the art and science of this discipline. And always remember, as the book and its authors have emphasized over these many years, that excellent clinical technique is absolutely critical to success. Edward J. Swift, Jr., DMD, MS Executive Vice Dean for Education Thomas P. Hinman Distinguished Professor Adams School of Dentistry University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA