Biting pain reproduced by the Tooth Slooth: an aid for early diagnosis of cracked tooth.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to find a reliable method to reproduce biting pain to facilitate an early diagnosis of cracked tooth and to verify the feasibility of the Tooth Slooth in diagnosing a cracked tooth.

METHOD AND MATERIALS: In this study, 46 intact teeth diagnosed as cracked teeth were selected. Patients were asked to bite wet cotton rolls and the Tooth Slooth, and clinical findings were recorded. The difference in the relevance ratio between these two bite test methods was determined.

RESULTS: The relevance ratio of biting pain by the Tooth Slooth and wet cotton rolls was 91.3% and 32.6%, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between these two bite tests (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this study, the relevance ratio of biting pain by the Tooth Slooth was significantly higher than that of the wet cotton rolls. The Tooth Slooth was a reliable method to reproduce biting pain and was useful for early diagnosis of cracked teeth.