According to the researchers, more than 70 percent of adults have at least one cracked tooth, often leading to damaged or diseased teeth and consequently to root-canal treatment or even extraction. (Photo:Jovan Nikolic/Shutterstock)

"Cracked teeth are problematic not just for patients, but also for dentists. In confronting cracked teeth, dentists have to decide whether the cracked tooth will get worse, when the tooth needs to be treated, and the best treatment for the patient. It is our hope that this study will help dentists answer these questions," said principal investigator Dr. Thomas J. Hilton, Alumni Centennial Professor in Operative Dentistry.

The study will involve 3,000 patients with cracked teeth from about 150 to 300 private dental practices that are part of the National Dental Practice-based Research Network, a consortium of practices and dental organizations committed to advancing knowledge of dental practice that was initiated in April 2012. The researchers will investigate fractures that involve the whole tooth, from the surface to the nerve. 

The research project received a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.