skip to main content

Reversible Pulpitis Conservative Management — ORE Part 1 MCQ

Instant feedback + full explanation. One question, done properly.

EasyRestorative DentistryReversible Pulpitis Conservative ManagementORE Part 1

A 25-year-old patient has a deep carious lesion in a lower molar. Cold water produces a sharp pain that stops within 2–3 seconds of removing the stimulus. There is no spontaneous pain. The tooth responds to sensibility testing and is not tender to percussion. The pulp is not exposed during caries removal. What is the most appropriate treatment?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct answer: D — Selectively remove caries and place a sealed definitive restoration

This is reversible pulpitis in a vital permanent tooth: cold provokes brief pain, which resolves immediately after the stimulus is removed, with no spontaneous pain or percussion tenderness. SDCEP advises caries removal and restoration when reversible pulpitis is present without pulp exposure. For a deep lesion, selective caries removal reduces iatrogenic pulp exposure while allowing a durable sealed restoration to arrest the lesion and preserve vitality. Root canal treatment is unnecessarily invasive for this presentation. Pulpotomy with MTA is a vital pulp therapy option when the pulp is exposed or when more advanced pulpal disease warrants it, not as first choice here. Extraction is unjustified for a restorable vital tooth, while observation alone leaves an active cavitated lesion untreated.

Reference: Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP), Management of Acute Dental Problems: Pulpitis, current web guidance. https://www.acutedentalproblems.sdcep.org.uk/guidance/management-of-oral-conditions/common-oral-conditions/pulpitis/