For this survey, 92 vertically fractured endodontically treated teeth were
evaluated clinically and radiographically before and after extraction. The
maxillary second premolars (27.2%) and mesial roots of the mandibular molar
s (24%) were the most fractured teeth. In 67.4% of the teeth, a solitary bu
ccal pocket was present; in 34.8%, a fistula frequently appeared closer to
the gingival margin than to the apical area. A lateral radiolucency or a co
mbination of lateral and periapical radiolucency was found in more than hal
f of the cases. The general practitioners correctly diagnosed vertical root
fracture in only one-third of the 92 fractured teeth in this survey.