Presented by: Dr. Peter C. Fritz, B.Sc., D.D.S., F.R.C.D.(C)., Ph.D. (Perio), M.B.A.
A new global classification system for periodontal health, diseases and conditions, as well as peri-implant diseases and conditions, was revealed at the EuroPerio9 congress, the world’s leading congress in periodontology and implant dentistry in June 2018. The comprehensive classification is based upon the most contemporary evidence and includes a staging and grading system for periodontitis, indicating severity and extent of disease, accounting for lifetime disease experience and taking into account the patient’s overall health status. The complete review and consensus reports is the outcome of a joint workshop held by the European Federation of Periodontology and the American Academy of Periodontology in 2017.
This huge undertaking was one of vital importance, ensuring that an international language for clinical care, research and education is established, and updating the 1999 classification system to account for rapid advances in scientific knowledge over the last 20 years.
In the new classification, clinical health is defined for the first time and periodontitis is described in four stages, ranging from Stage 1 (least severe) to Stage 4 (most severe). The risk and rate of disease progression has been categorized into three grades from lowest risk of progression (Grade A) to the highest (Grade C). The grading considers risk factors such as smoking and the presence of concomitant diseases, such as diabetes.
The new classification provides a globally consistent approach to diagnosis and management and ultimately improves outcomes for our patients. It reflects what has been expertly reviewed today about the disease and attempts to:
- Improve clinicians’ level of comprehension and appreciation of disease progression.
- Clarify gingival health and mucogingival conditions and address peri-implant diseases for the first time.
- Eliminate overlap of former disease categories and achieve more diagnostic precision.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Learn how the worldwide consensus was reached and how the new classification differs from the original 1999 version.
- Familiarize yourself with an innovative model for identifying and diagnosing periodontal disease that introduces a multi-dimensional staging and grading system, similar to the method used in oncology.
- Gain an appreciation for the complex nature of each patient and his/her individual response to treatment. Use this pragmatic and user-friendly system to focus the complex clinical situation.
- Describe what new dental students will be taught about identifying and classifying periodontitis in their patients.
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of the link between periodontal disease and other systemic chronic health conditions most commonly affecting Canadians.
- Gain an appreciation for the importance of prevention of periodontal disease for the management of overall health.
- Learn to correctly identify and classify periodontal disease progression using International nomenclature according to the most recent Practical Classification System for Periodontal Diseases, 2018.
- Understand the non-surgical and surgical treatment options used for managing periodontal and peri-implant diseases
- Investigate current and emerging areas of periodontal research.