Diagnosis of periodontal diseases--changing concepts. A challenge for the future.

Periodontal research conducted over the last ten years has dramatically changed concepts relating to the assessment and diagnosis of periodontal diseases. These concepts have challenged the clinician to discard long accepted theories regarding the diagnosis and progression of periodontal disease transforming this area into a critical and important aspect of current periodontal research. Currently accepted theories regarding the progression of human periodontal disease (gingivitis and adult periodontitis), will be briefly reviewed, and current and potential new techniques for diagnosing periodontal disease activity will be discussed.