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, lingering pain that woke them from sleep. Cold testing produces prolonged pain lasting over 30 seconds. What is the most likely pulpal diagnosis?
Answer: Symptomatic irreversible pulpitis
Spontaneous pain, nocturnal symptoms, and lingering cold response are hallmark signs of symptomatic irreversible pulpitis.
Which CBCT artifact is caused by highly attenuating materials such as gutta-percha or metallic posts and appears as bright streaks across the image?
Answer: Beam hardening artifact
Beam hardening artifacts arise when dense materials preferentially absorb low-energy photons, producing bright streak patterns on CBCT images.
A tooth responds normally to cold testing but produces pain with biting and has a negative EPT response. Radiographically, a widened PDL space is present. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Answer: Symptomatic apical periodontitis with pulp necrosis
Negative EPT with biting pain and widened PDL space indicates pulp necrosis with periapical inflammation causing symptomatic apical periodontitis.
The Clark (SLOB) rule in periapical radiography is used to determine the:
Answer: Buccolingual position of roots or objects
The SLOB (Same Lingual Opposite Buccal) rule uses two angulated exposures to determine whether a structure is buccal or lingual in position.
Chronic apical abscess is BEST distinguished from an acute apical abscess by which clinical feature?
Answer: Presence of a sinus tract with minimal pain
A chronic apical abscess typically presents with a sinus tract (parulis) allowing drainage, resulting in minimal or no pain unlike the acute variant.
Which finding on CBCT is considered PATHOGNOMONIC for a vertical root fracture?
Answer: Halo pattern of bone loss around the root
A halo or J-shaped pattern of bone loss extending from the apex along the lateral root surface is the hallmark CBCT finding for vertical root fracture.
When performing electronic apex locator measurements, which condition is most likely to cause a FALSE apical reading (reading apex before the true terminus)?
Answer: Perforated root with file contacting periodontal tissue
A root perforation causes the file to contact the periodontal ligament prematurely, triggering a false apex reading before reaching the actual foramen.