Assessing periodontal health and the british society of periodontology implementation of the new classification of periodontal diseases 2017 Mike R Milward Anthony Roberts Dental Update 2024 46:10, 707-709.
Professor and Honorary Consultant in Periodontology, The School of Dentistry, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, 5 Mill Pool Way, Edgbaston, Birmingham B5 7EG
Periodontal disease is a highly prevalent, chronic, inflammatory condition which is a major contributor to tooth loss and poor oral health-related quality of life. For the vast majority of patients, the disease is entirely preventable/manageable often aided by input from dental health professionals. As dental health professionals, understanding the periodontal disease process, the risk factors associated with it, standardized ways of detecting, diagnosing and monitoring the disease, along with the special tests needed to aid this process are essential skills for successful disease management.
This article summarizes the need for assessing periodontal disease including key aspects of detection, a brief history of periodontal disease classification and the new classification. The paper goes on to discuss the British Society of Periodontology implementation plan of new classification and how this can be utilized for use in general dental practice.
CPD/Clinical Relevance: This paper introduces the practitioner to the 2017 Classification of Periodontal Disease along with how this is implemented in general dental practice. The paper provides useful cases for practice as well as flowcharts to aid diagnosis.
Article
Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects approximately 45% of the adult population.1 The disease is driven by development of a plaque biofilm but the majority of periodontal tissue damage is as a result of an exaggerated host inflammatory response.2 A number of risk factors impact on periodontal disease resulting in initiation or exacerbation of the disease process, examples include smoking, poor plaque control and unstable diabetes.
The importance of periodontal disease cannot be underestimated. It has a major impact on patients' self-esteem and can result in tooth loss, which compromises aesthetics and dietary intake.3 Periodontal disease management is labour intensive and time consuming, requiring long-term maintenance following successful treatment, resulting in a significant healthcare burden.4 The impact of periodontal disease on a range of systemic conditions has further raised the profile of this prevalent and debilitating disease.5
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