NDEB ACJ flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Reversible pulpitis

Sharp pain provoked by cold, sweet, or chewing that resolves promptly when the stimulus is removed; no spontaneous pain; treated by removing the cause such as caries or a defective restoration.

Symptomatic irreversible pulpitis

Spontaneous, lingering, or referred pain, often waking the patient at night, with pain persisting after the stimulus ends; requires pulpectomy or root canal treatment rather than a sedative filling.

Asymptomatic apical periodontitis

Inflammation of the periapical tissues detected radiographically as a widened periodontal ligament or periapical radiolucency, with no clinical symptoms; the pulp is usually necrotic and needs endodontic treatment.

Acute apical abscess

Rapid onset of pain, tenderness to percussion, pus formation, and swelling, sometimes with fever and lymphadenopathy; managed by drainage, pulpectomy, and antibiotics when systemic signs are present.

Chronic apical abscess

A long-standing periapical infection that drains through a sinus tract, often painless; the tract disappears after root canal treatment, and the causative tooth shows a necrotic pulp.

Infective endocarditis prophylaxis

Antibiotics before invasive dental care are indicated for prosthetic valves, prior endocarditis, certain congenital heart disease, and cardiac transplant with valvulopathy; not for routine mitral valve prolapse.

Red flag for referral

Dysphagia, dyspnea, trismus, floor-of-mouth swelling, fever with facial swelling, lip or chin paresthesia, or an ulcer persisting beyond two weeks warrants urgent assessment for serious pathology.

Oral cancer suspicion

Any ulcer, erythroplakia, leukoplakia, or induration present for more than two weeks without a clear cause requires biopsy or specialist referral; empirical treatment and delayed review are inappropriate.

Ferrule effect

At least 1.5 to 2 mm of circumferential sound dentin above the crown margin improves resistance of a restored endodontically treated tooth to fracture and guides the choice of post and core.

Periodontal staging

Stage I to IV reflects severity and complexity using clinical attachment loss, probing depths, bone loss, and tooth loss; stage III includes attachment loss of 5 mm or more.

Periodontal grading

Grade A, B, or C estimates rate of progression, commonly from the ratio of radiographic bone loss to age, plus risk factors such as smoking and diabetes.

Bleeding on probing

A key indicator of active gingival inflammation; its absence in a treated patient suggests stability, while persistent bleeding at deep sites indicates inadequate debridement or ongoing disease.

Local anesthesia failure

Common in mandibular molars with irreversible pulpitis; options include supplemental intraligamentary, intraosseous, buccal infiltration with articaine, or an alternative block technique.

Avulsed permanent tooth

Replant immediately by the crown if clean, or store in milk or saline; splint flexibly for about two weeks and start root canal treatment if the apex is closed.

Warfarin and extraction

Check the INR before surgery; extraction is generally acceptable at an INR of 3.5 or below using local hemostatic measures, without routinely stopping the anticoagulant.

Antiplatelet therapy

Aspirin and clopidogrel are usually continued for routine dental surgery; local measures such as sutures, pressure, and hemostatic agents control bleeding, and stopping the drug requires physician consultation.

Informed consent elements

Document the diagnosis, proposed treatment, material risks and benefits, alternatives including no treatment, and the patient's questions and decision before starting the procedure.

Sinus communication

A periapical lesion or extraction socket communicating with the maxillary sinus; suspect it with air or fluid passage, sinus tenderness, or a radiolucency contacting the sinus floor, and manage without nose blowing.

Trismus

Limited mouth opening, often from inflammation, muscle spasm, or infection; progressive trismus with swelling or fever suggests a spreading infection requiring urgent referral.

Ludwig angina

Rapidly spreading bilateral cellulitis of the submandibular and sublingual spaces with floor-of-mouth elevation and airway risk; a medical emergency requiring airway management, drainage, and intravenous antibiotics.

Caries risk assessment

Use active lesions, plaque control, sugar exposure, saliva flow, and fluoride use to classify risk and set recall intervals, preventive agents, and restorative decisions accordingly.

Xerostomia management

Reduced salivary flow raises caries and candidiasis risk; manage with fluoride varnish, high-fluoride toothpaste, sugar-free chewing gum, water intake, and review of causative medications.

Nonodontogenic pain

Pain with normal pulp tests and no dental cause may arise from temporomandibular disorder, neuropathic pain, sinusitis, or referred cardiac pain; irreversible dental treatment should be avoided.

Pulp vitality testing

Cold testing and electric pulp testing assess nerve response, while percussion and palpation assess periapical inflammation; results are interpreted together with radiographs and clinical findings.

Cracked tooth syndrome

Sharp pain on release of biting, often on a posterior tooth with a large restoration; diagnosis uses bite tests and transillumination, and treatment ranges from a crown to extraction.

Antibiotics in dentistry

Reserved for systemic involvement, spreading infection, or prophylaxis; they are an adjunct to drainage and definitive treatment and never substitute for removing the source of infection.

Restoration failure decision

Choose repair, replacement, endodontic treatment, crown, or extraction based on remaining tooth structure, ferrule, periodontal support, occlusal load, and the patient's caries risk.

Occlusal trauma

Excessive force on a tooth can cause mobility, widening of the periodontal ligament, and discomfort; management includes occlusal adjustment and splint therapy after excluding infection.

Systemic signs of infection

Fever, malaise, lymphadenopathy, tachycardia, and spreading swelling indicate a significant infection that needs urgent drainage, antibiotics, and possible hospital referral.

Biopsy indications

Any persistent oral lesion, unexplained bleeding, induration, or nonhealing extraction socket requires tissue sampling or referral to exclude malignancy or other serious disease.

Medical history priority

Identify conditions altering dental care, such as bleeding disorders, cardiac disease, diabetes, immunosuppression, and allergy, and modify treatment or consult the physician before proceeding.

Recall interval

Set individually from caries and periodontal risk, oral hygiene, and systemic factors; high-risk patients need shorter intervals with active prevention rather than a fixed six-month schedule.