The Misdiagnosis Cause Analysis of Acute and Chronic Pulpitis(A Report of 21 Cases)

Objective To analyze the misdiagnosis causes of acute and chronic pulpitis,and to improve the treatment.Methods The clinical data of 21 patients with acute or chronic pulpitis misdiagnosed during January 2006 and June 2010 in our hospital was retrospectively analyzed.Results There were 8 cases of acute pulpitis,among whom,dental caries in 11 drop detected by oral examination,and pulp vitality test result showed sensitive reactions to hot and cold stimulation,and X-ray showed different degrees of shadow in periradicular;There were 13 cases of chronic pulpitis,among whom,2 cases were dental caries,5 cases were hidden crack teeth.Pulp vitality test result showed that dental pulp was unresponsive.X-ray findings showed periradicular shadow,and denticle in pulp chamb and root canal were seen in 6 patients.12 cases were misdiagnosed as ear diseases and temporal jaws joint disease,5 cases as tension headaches,2 cases as trigeminal neuralgia,and 2 cases as cerebrovascular accident.All the patients were found to have different degrees of acute or chronic pulpitis.After root canal therapy,the pain in the patients was alliviated,and all the patients were cured.Conclusion The causes of misdiagnosis of acute and chronic pulpitis include difficult localization of pain,and obsolete clinical positive signs.It is necessary to idenfify the causes and mechanisms of ectopic pain in pulpitis patients and tentative measures should be taken to avoid misdiagnosis.