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Dental caries (pulpitis)
From WikEM
Contents
Background
Clinical Features
- Reversible Pulpitis
- Duration of pain is short (seconds)
- Associated with noxious stimuli (cold or heat)
- Irreversible Pulpitis
- Duration of pain is long (hours) and intense
- Associated with noxious stimuli or may occur spontaneously
Differential Diagnosis
Dentoalveolar Injuries
Odontogenic Infections
- Dental caries (pulpitis)
- Ludwig's angina
- Periapical abcess
- Periodontal abscess
- Peritonsillar Abscess (PTA)
- Retropharyngeal abscess
- Trench Mouth (Acute Necrotizing Ulcerative Gingivitis)
- Vincent's angina - tonsillitis and pharyngitis
- Acute alveolar osteitis
Other
- Scurvy
- Gingival hyperplasia
- Phenytoin
- Cyclosporine
- Nifedipine, Amlodipine
- Leukemia
Evaluation
Management
- Root canal or extraction (for irreversible pulpitis)
Disposition
- Discharge with dental follow-up
