M33: Endodontic case difficulty: assess the patient, the tooth and its history, score the case, and decide to treat or refer

One case selection before a root canal on an upper molar, done the way the AAE built its form for dental curricula: go through the patient considerations (medical history, anaesthesia, anxiety, opening, gag reflex, pain and swelling), read the tooth and canals on the radiograph (tooth type, curvature, how clear the canal path is, structures near the apex), add the history (trauma, earlier root canal treatment, the gum), give the case a level (low, moderate or high) and, as a student, the educator guide's point score (1, 2 or 5 points an item), consider CBCT for moderate and high cases, and decide: under 20 points the student may treat, 20 to 40 only an experienced student with very close supervision by an endodontist or a referral, and above 40 the patient is referred to a graduate student or endodontist.

Practice feedback against the 2026–27 published crown-prep criteria (molar). Not an exam or admissions result; your program and examiners decide.