Here we review the most important changes established for gingivitis and periodontitis in the new 2018 periodontal disease classification. 

GINGIVITIS 

• Requires over 10% of sites showing gum bleeding, but without pockets of > 4 mm at those sites. 

• May be plaque-induced or non-plaque-induced and the number of plaque-induced gingivitis categories has been reduced to two: with intact periodontium or with reduced periodontium. The latter may appear because of prior periodontitis or for other reasons. 

• Differentiation is made between generalised versus localised gingivitis. 

PERIODONTITIS 

• Periodontitis is considered as one sole disease with four stages and three grades depending on severity, complexity and type of progression. 

• Stages: 

- Stages I and II: initial and moderate forms of the disease respectively, with loss of interdental attachment no greater than 4 mm in at least two non-adjacent teeth, loss of horizontal bone and limited to the coronal third, without loss of teeth from periodontitis and with probing depths not exceeding 5 mm. 

- Stages III and IV: severe forms of the disease, with loss of interdental attachment equal to or greater than 5 mm in at least two adjacent teeth, loss of bone with a vertical component and extending to the middle third or beyond, furcation defects Type II or III and probing depths as of 6 mm. The difference between both stages lies in the greater number of teeth lost in stage 4, equal to or greater than five, and in the complexity of the case when restoring because of masticatory dysfunction, bite collapse and severe secondary occlusal trauma. 

— For each stage, the extension and distribution may be established as local (less than 30% of sites affected), general, or with molar/incisor pattern. 

• Grades:

 - Grade A: slow progression, with absence of attachment or bone loss in the previous five years and with high levels of plaque or biofilm together with low bone loss. 

- Grade B: moderate progression, with a loss of less than 2 mm in the previous five years and with bone destruction consistent with plaque levels. If a patient smokes 10 cigarettes or less per day and is diabetic but has a glycosylated haemoglobin of below 7%, they will also fall under this category. 

- Grade C: rapid progression, with a loss of greater than 2 mm in the previous five years, low plaque levels in relation to the amount of bone loss and patterns that suggest rapid progression or early onset of the disease. In addition, all patients who smoke more than 10 cigarettes per day or have diabetes and a glycosylated haemoglobin of greater than 7% are considered grade C. 

DENTAID SOLUTIONS FOR PERIODONTAL AND PERI-IMPLANT DISEASE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT 

• PERIO·AID^® 0.20 POST-SURGURY BIOADHESIVE GEL
• PERIO·AID^® 0.12 ADJUVANT FOR PERIODONTITIS/PERI-IMPLANTITIS TREATMENT
• PERIO·AID^® 0.05 ADJUVANT FOR PERIODONTAL/PERI-IMPLANT MAINTENANCE AND CONTROL
• VITIS^® GINGIVAL DAILY USE GINGIVITIS PREVENTION