Endodontics · single question
Which clinical finding is MOST associated with pulp canal obliteration (PCO)?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Diminished or absent response to cold testing
PCO involves progressive tertiary dentin deposition narrowing the pulp canal. Clinically: diminished/absent cold response; radiographically: narrowed or absent canal.
- A. Periapical radiolucency indicates periapical pathology. PCO without necrosis would NOT show a periapical lesion.
- B. CORRECT. In pulp canal obliteration, the pulp space is reduced by reparative dentin. This leads to diminished or absent cold test response. The pulp may still be vital but less accessible to thermal stimuli.
- C. Lingering pain to cold indicates symptomatic irreversible pulpitis — not PCO.
- D. Tenderness to percussion suggests periapical pathology, which may occur if PCO teeth eventually develop necrosis, but is not the primary diagnostic feature.