Patients are sometimes referred for treatment to dentists who limit their practices to endodontics. A survey of consecutive referrals to seven such dentists was undertaken. The most common reasons for such referrals were (i) for the retreatment of a tooth with a previous root filling, (ii) because the referring dentist was unable to control pain and/or swelling, or (iii) because the referring dentist was unable to diagnose the endodontic problem. Only 60 (12.8%) of the 469 reasons reviewed were in teeth that were symptomless, uncomplicated and untouched by the referring dentist.