title: Diagnosis, therapy, and prevention of the cracked tooth syndrome.
abstract: Many morphologic, physical, and iatrogenic factors, such as deep grooves, pronounced intraoral temperature fluctuation, poor cavity preparation design, and wrong selection of restorative materials, may predispose posterior teeth to an incomplete fracture. The resulting cracked tooth syndrome is frequently associated with bizarre symptoms that may complicate diagnosis and can persist for many years. Epidemiologic data reveal that splits or fractures are the third most common cause of tooth loss in industrialized countries, primarily affecting maxillary molars and premolars and mandibular molars. This finding indicates that the cracked tooth syndrome is of high clinical importance. Thus, at-risk teeth should be reinforced early, for instance by castings with cusp coverage or by internal splinting with adhesive ceramic restorations.
authors.affiliation: Division of Operative Dentistry, Department of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-7456, USA. wgert@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Geurtsen
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schwarze
authors.forename: Huesamettin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Günay
mesh_terms: D001641:Bicuspid / Q000293:injuries; D001732:Bite Force; D003387:Cracked Tooth Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003442:Crowns; D003799:Dental Stress Analysis; D006801:Humans; D007284:Inlays; D008963:Molar / Q000293:injuries; D013165:Splints; D019228:Tooth Crown / Q000293:injuries