The Self Assessment Manual and standards if produced by the Faculty of General Dental Practitioners of the Royal Colege of Surgeons of England and the Department of Health as part of a clinical audit program. It is a self-help manual containing a set of clinical standards in 15 aspects of patient care. The standards are concerned with clinical otucomes, rather than techniques, and are intended to be educational, not regulatory. The book's contents and applications are described in detail, together with its political background and possible use in an international context.