This high-yield revision note on Endodontic Diagnosis: Pulp Tests, Cold Test & EPT Interpretation covers everything examiners typically test under Endodontics — structured as quick-reference tables, clinical correlations, mnemonics and previous-year-style high-yield points. It's built for last-mile revision before NEET MDS, INI-CET MDS and INBDE, so you can scan it in minutes instead of re-reading a whole textbook chapter.
| Test | Method | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Cold test | Refrigerant spray, ice, or dry ice (CO2) applied to the tooth | Normal: mild transient pain resolving in seconds; Prolonged pain = irreversible pulpitis; No response = necrosis (false negatives possible with immature apices, recent trauma, or calcified canals) |
| Heat test | Warmed gutta-percha or a heated instrument applied to the tooth | Pain relieved by cold application afterward is a classic sign of irreversible pulpitis |
| Electric pulp test (EPT) | Electrical stimulus applied - tests only the NEURAL response, not the actual blood supply | False positive possible in anxious patients; false negative possible in recently traumatized/immature apex teeth, or necrotic pulps with intact nerve remnants |
| Percussion test | Gentle tapping on the tooth | Positive result indicates periapical/periodontal ligament inflammation (apical periodontitis) |
| Palpation | Digital pressure on mucosa overlying the apex | Positive result indicates periapical involvement extending to bone/soft tissue |
| Test cavity | Drilling into dentin without anesthesia (last-resort test) | Pain response indicates a vital pulp |
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