Abstract

A cracked tooth is an incomplete fracture initiated from the crown, extends cervically, and is usually directed mesiodistally. The consequences of a fracture range from minor complications requiring no treatment to severe consequences that may lead to tooth loss. Routine clinical examinations often uncover visible fracture lines in asymptomatic teeth. However, diagnosis of a cracked tooth often represents a problem. The present review aimed at assessing the prevalence and distribution of cracked teeth by reviewing previous studies investigating such subjects. PubMed and Google Scholar databases were searched for eligible articles between 2009 and 2021. The included searching keywords were “prevalence, distribution, epidemiology, CTS, and cracked tooth,” which were used in various combinations. The inclusion criteria were original articles written in English and available for full-text. A total of 85 articles were obtained. Only six articles were eligible for the inclusion criteria. The 6 included studies involved a total number of 5,055 participants. The most affected teeth were molars, and the associated risk factors were older age and male gender. The risk behavior was biting of hard object. The prevalence of cracked teeth is hard to be determined due to the lack of studies and diversity of the included population. However, molars were found to be the most affected teeth, and older age and male gender were found to be the risk factors for cracked teeth.

Key words: Cracked tooth, distribution, prevalence