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FOCUSED CLINICAL QUESTION: How can a clinician simply and quickly perform a periodontal screening and make a proper periodontal diagnosis using the 2018 proposed new periodontal classification? SUMMARY: The 2018 periodontal classification has been released, however, it is challenging for clinicians especially for the dental students to apply the published information in practice. A diagnostic flowchart was created for three of the most common periodontal conditions: health, gingivitis, and periodontitis. Additionally, flowcharts were proposed for the diagnosis of periodontitis severity and risk of progression by staging and grading. Probing depth was the first clinical parameter to categorize the type of diseases. Subsequently, bleeding on probing, radiographic bone loss/clinical attachment loss, and history of periodontal treatment were further added for making a proper diagnosis. Three clinical cases were given to demonstrate the use of the simplified proposed flowcharts. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed diagnostic flowcharts are the user-friendly tool to assist clinicians to perform an initial screening and diagnosis based on the 2018 newly proposed periodontal disease classification.
Sutthiboonyapan et al. (Wed,) studied this question.