Radiolucency in the CERVICAL ROOT REGION of a tooth in a stressed college student with GERD. The MOST likely cause is:

Correct answer: C. External root resorption (stress + GERD acid + parafunctional habits → external pressure resorption)

• A. Root caries appears as a radiolucency at the cementoenamel junction and progresses differently — typically seen in older patients with gingival recession.
• B. Normal anatomy in the cervical region would not appear as a radiolucency.
• C. Correct. EXTERNAL ROOT RESORPTION in the cervical region in a young patient with GERD (acid exposure) and stress (possibly bruxism/clenching) suggests: acid from GERD demineralizes root cementum at the cervical region, combined with pressure from clenching/bruxism, triggering clastic cell activity and EXTERNAL CERVICAL RESORPTION. This appears as radiolucency adjacent to the external root surface in the cervical area.
• D. Internal root resorption appears as widening/ballooning of the ROOT CANAL SPACE — originating from the INSIDE of the canal, not the outside cervical region.