ADHA Congratulates the AAP on the Release of the Proceedings from the 2017 World Workshop

With the recent release of the new periodontal disease classification system by the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP), the American Dental Hygienists’ Association released the following statement:

The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) congratulates the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) on the release of the proceedings from the 2017 World Workshop on the Classification of Periodontal and Peri-Implant Diseases and Conditions and the new periodontal disease and peri-implant disease classification system. ADHA joins the global oral care community in embracing this enhanced way that periodontal disease and peri-implant disease is understood, communicated, and treated.

In the development of this new classification system, AAP has employed a collaborative and deliberate process that is based on the strongest current evidence and expert opinion to reflect what is understood today. We are honored to be a part of this process and we look forward to working with AAP and sharing the new classification system with our colleagues in dental hygiene education and clinical practice.

The new multi-dimensional staging and grading system for periodontal disease, similar to the method used in oncology, will help improve clinicians’ understanding and appreciation of disease progression and lead to more diagnostic precision.  It will also help identify potential risk factors and highlight the individualized and complex nature of patient and his/her response to treatment.

ADHA will be co-presenting on the new classification system with the AAP and the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association at the dental hygiene symposium during the AAP Annual Meeting in October 2018.