Research progress on conservative endodontic access cavities and its stress analysis of teeth

Conservative endodontic access cavity (CEC) is the first step of minimally invasive endodontics. After that operation, teeth retain the dental hard tissue, such as crest and peri-cervical dentin, to a large extent. It is of great significance to reduce the tissue excision and achieve a favorable prognosis. There are a variety of approaches and corresponding cavities in CEC. The methods to determine the medullary approach include X-ray localization, micro CT/cone beam CT localization and digital guide plate localization. Among them, X-ray film and micro CT/cone beam CT are simple and commonly used in the clinic. For more complex root canal systems, the use of a digital guide plate can establish a more accurate pulp opening pathway and reduce the unnecessary loss of tooth hard tissue. However, the positioning price of a digital guide plate is high, and it has not been widely used in the clinic. The hole types of CEC include minimally invasive medullary hole type, super conservative minimally invasive medullary hole type, "Truss" hole type and cutting end hole type. The stress analysis of CEC and traditional endodontic access (TEC) cavity are mainly based on the loading of teeth by a universal mechanical testing machine in vitro, finite element analysis and clinical observation. Most scholars' studies have shown that minimally invasive endodontics can improve the fracture resistance of teeth, but the differential capacities of CEC and TEC remain controversial. How does on balance the purpose of pulp treatment and the maximum retention of tooth tissue? Further exploration is still needed.