Diagnosis, therapy, and prevention of the cracked tooth syndrome

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.