A young, apprehensive child with no previous experience of local anaesthesia has a complicated crown fracture of a primary tooth. Appointment time is limited. What treatment do you provide?

Correct answer: C. Extraction

• A. Pulpectomy of a primary tooth is technically demanding and time-consuming — poorly matched to a short appointment with an apprehensive, inexperienced patient.
• B. Pulpotomy would be reasonable in a cooperative child with adequate time, but it still requires profound anaesthesia and careful isolation.
• C. Correct given these constraints. Extraction is the single-visit, definitive option for an anxious, anaesthetic-naive child when time does not permit lengthier pulp therapy on a primary tooth.
• D. Splinting is for luxation and avulsion injuries, not for a crown fracture with pulp exposure.

Note: ⚑ The behavioural constraints, not the tooth, drive this answer. With a cooperative child and adequate time, a pulpotomy preserving the tooth would be preferred. Plan space maintenance after extraction.