Endodontic Diagnosis and Radiology Flashcards
7 cards from real ABE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Endodontic Diagnosis and Radiology flashcards as text
A patient reports spontaneous pain relieved by cold water. The cold test produces immediate relief of ongoing pain. What pulpal diagnosis does this suggest?
Answer: Symptomatic irreversible pulpitis with hyperalgesia
Relief of pain with cold is a classic presentation of symptomatic irreversible pulpitis where increased intrapulpal pressure is temporarily reduced by cold-induced vasoconstriction.
Which of the following BEST explains why mandibular molars may require additional buccal infiltration or intraligamentary injection despite a successful IANB?
Answer: Accessory innervation via the mylohyoid nerve to pulpal tissue
The mylohyoid nerve provides accessory sensory innervation to mandibular molars and is not blocked by standard IANB, necessitating supplemental anesthesia.
On a periapical radiograph, which finding MOST strongly indicates that a periapical lesion is endodontic rather than periodontal in origin?
Answer: Radiolucency confined to the apex of a non-vital tooth with intact crestal bone
Primary endodontic lesions typically show apical bone loss in isolation with intact crestal bone, reflecting infection originating from the pulp space.
What does the term 'phoenix abscess' describe in endodontic diagnosis?
Answer: Acute exacerbation of a pre-existing chronic periapical lesion
A phoenix abscess is an acute inflammatory episode superimposed on a previously quiescent chronic lesion, often triggered by operative manipulation or changes in host resistance.
Which CBCT voxel size is MOST appropriate for detecting vertical root fractures in a single-rooted tooth?
Answer: 0.08–0.125 mm (high-resolution small FOV)
High-resolution small-FOV CBCT with voxel sizes of 0.08–0.125 mm provides the spatial resolution needed to detect the narrow radiolucent lines of vertical root fractures.
A patient has a mandibular second premolar with a periapical radiolucency. The tooth has a vital pulp response to cold. What should be ruled out before diagnosing endodontic pathology?
Answer: Non-odontogenic or periapical cemental dysplasia lesion mimicking endodontic disease
Periapical cemental dysplasia commonly affects mandibular premolars in its early lytic phase and can mimic endodontic pathology while the pulp remains vital.
Which of the following statements about EPT (electric pulp testing) is CORRECT?
Answer: EPT assesses pulp vitality indirectly via neural response, not blood supply
EPT stimulates A-delta nerve fibers electrically; it tests neural integrity, not actual blood supply, so it can give false positives in calcified or multi-rooted teeth.