08.04.2025
Stages and grades: how periodontitis is classified today
Until a few years ago a distinction was made between chronic and aggressive periodontitis. That classification is obsolete. In 2018 the European Federation of Periodontology and the American Academy of Periodontology jointly published a new classification that has been used internationally ever since.
It works with two axes. The stage, I to IV, describes how much of the supporting apparatus has already been lost and how demanding the treatment will therefore be. The grade, A to C, describes how quickly the disease is progressing and which risk factors are involved – smoking and poorly controlled diabetes push the grade upwards.
The benefit lies in the prognosis: two people with equally deep pockets can face very different prospects, depending on the age at which the loss occurred and how fast. The classification makes that difference visible and influences how closely the aftercare is scheduled.
If your findings state something like “stage III, grade B”, ask what that means in your case. The classification is made to be explained.
Source: World Workshop of the European Federation of Periodontology and the American Academy of Periodontology, published in 2018.