Last week, establishing a stage for your patient was highlighted. Click HERE to review. Once you have established the stage of your patient, the grade needs to be determined. The three grades are A, B or C. The grade indicates the speed of progression and the quality of treatment response. In order to establish the grade, there are 3 factors to consider: Direct evidence – Evidence of bone loss over the past 5 years. (You may not have access to previous records, but this highlights the v...

How the heck are we supposed to implement the new American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) Staging and Grading Periodontitis classifications into practice?  This new system seems so complicated, right??  Actually, it can be simplified and once that is done, the new system is extremely valuable!  As hygienists, we know that periodontal disease is multifactorial.  It is affected by systemic health, habits, occlusion, and more.  We know that it is just as much about the host response as it is abo...