Is pulpitis painful?
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether inflamed dental pulps progress to necrosis without pain.


METHODS
Records of 2,202 maxillary anterior teeth endodontically treated at the University of Michigan were collected. Records of teeth presenting with periapical radiolucencies but no response to vitality tests were examined further to determine, from the history, whether the patient had experienced pain or no pain from the involved tooth.


RESULTS
Approximately 40% of the teeth included gave no history of spontaneous or prolonged pain to a thermal stimulus. No statistically significant differences in the incidence of 'painless pulpitis' were related to either gender or tooth type. Patients aged >53 years experienced 'painless pulpitis' more often than patients <33 years.


CONCLUSIONS
Many teeth appear to progress to pulpal necrosis without the patient experiencing pain attributable to the pulp.
Michaelson
P L
PL
Division of Endodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Holland
G R
GR
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003481:Cuspid / Q000473:pathology; D003790:Dental Pulp Necrosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D003791:Dental Pulp Test; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology; D010483:Periapical Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology; D010485:Periapical Periodontitis / Q000503:physiopathology; D011671:Pulpitis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic