Decision Analysis on the Management of Cracked Tooth

Author(s):

Kavalipurapu Venkata Teja and Sindhu Ramesh*

Background: Tooth fractures are commonly encountered in day to day dental practice. The consequences of these fractures can range from a minor to severe from a stage where no treatment is needed to a stage leading to root canal therapy or even tooth loss. One form of these fractures include cracked tooth syndrome. It often presents a difficulty in diagnosis to the dentist and many times it’s a painful and a frustrating event to the patient. Cracked tooth syndrome is a term applied to a presumptive diagnosis of an incomplete tooth fracture which typically presents with the symptoms of pain on biting and responds to temperatures especially to cold stimuli. Routine clinical examinations in patients with asymptomatic teeth, often uncover these fracture lines. Unfortunately, by the time these incomplete tooth fractures become symptomatic, tooth may already be destined to root canal therapy or extraction. Hence appropriate knowledge is needed for dentists in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the cracked teeth. Aim: To provide decision analysis tree for the management of cracked tooth. Methodology & Results: Literature search was carried out on cracked teeth and a decision tree analysis was framed for the management of cracked teeth.