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Diagnosis in Molar Endodontics

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Abstract

Developing a diagnosis is, in essence, a process in information gathering. This information is gathered from the patient’s history of pain, trauma or restorative procedures, clinical examinations, results of clinical tests, and radiographic examination of the teeth and the surrounding tissues. The diagnostic process begins with a patient interview and review of the medical history, dental history, and pain history. A thorough patient and pain assessment interview will often enable a clinician to differentiate between odontogenic and non-odontogenic pain. Non-odontogenic pain will often become chronic and debilitating in nature. Furthermore, this pain can be further exacerbated by incorrect or unnecessary treatments frequently resulting in the establishment of chronic pain pathways.

An accurate diagnosis is crucial for arriving at an appropriate treatment choice: no treatment, medication, vital pulp therapy, nonsurgical root canal treatment, surgical root canal treatment, extraction, or referral. Pulpal and periradicular testing should always be carried out to establish an accurate diagnosis. Ultimately, the clinician must answer two critical questions before progressing to treatment of a tooth: one is the tooth restorable and, two, what is the periodontal prognosis for the tooth.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Endodontics, Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry, Dallas, TX, USA

    David E. Witherspoon BDSc, MS, MFA, FICD & John D. Regan BDentSc, MA, MSc, MS, FICD

  2. North Texas Endodontic Associates, 5800 Coit Rd. Suite 200, Plano, TX, USA

    David E. Witherspoon BDSc, MS, MFA, FICD & John D. Regan BDentSc, MA, MSc, MS, FICD

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  1. David E. Witherspoon BDSc, MS, MFA, FICD
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  2. John D. Regan BDentSc, MA, MSc, MS, FICD
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Correspondence to David E. Witherspoon BDSc, MS, MFA, FICD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Endodontics, University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, San Francisco, California, USA

    Ove A. Peters

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Witherspoon, D.E., Regan, J.D. (2017). Diagnosis in Molar Endodontics. In: Peters, O. (eds) The Guidebook to Molar Endodontics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-52901-0_2

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