The case of a female with a history of trauma to her maxillary central incisors 12 y ago is presented. The right tooth showed signs of root-fracture healing with a dislocated coronal fragment, total pulp canal obliteration (PCO) and contradictory signs and symptoms. The left tooth showed an indistinguishable fracture line but partial PCO in the apical fragment and normal clinical signs. Although the patient was referred for endodontic treatment of the right central incisor, Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) was suggested to confirm the nature of the condition. Because CBCT should not be used routinely for endodontic diagnosis but may be justified in "borderline" cases, it was performed in according to the current legal recommendations, avoiding the unnecessary endodontic treatment. PCO is discussed, as the condition involves not only a radiographic reduction of the pulp canal but also an adaptive morphological pattern of pulp response to trauma.

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An "adverse event" has defined as a non-intentional complication result of health care treatment, and although it can have different causes, always involves the providing care, but not the complications inherent to the patient’s disease itself. Adverse events, iatrogenic complications and malpractice have been clearly differentiated because only malpractice causes liability: while iatrogenic events can be result of a well-performed procedure, malpractice involves damage caused by negligence or lack of knowledge, and it is a potential for complaint and liability claim. In dentistry, endodontics is one of the specialties of greatest challenge where adverse events and malpractice claims have been reported with significant frequency. We present a literature review searching the main causes and results of malpractice claims in endodontics. Three articles from Italy, Israel and Denmark were selected, where the most claimed adverse events were root perforations, inappropriate drug therapies, defective root fillings and instrument fracture. One of the articles referred to malpractice verdicts in 97.5 % of claims. Since endodontics leads dental malpractice claims in Chile, strategies of risk management for these procedures are discussed; the adherence to strict protocols is proposed and measures to minimize the negative effects of these events are recommended.