Periodontal disease classifications revisited.

An American Academy of Periodontology Task Force has recently published a report on the Update to the 1999 Classification of Periodontal Diseases and Conditions, which is a focused update outlining changes to be included in a comprehensive update planned for 2017. We discuss the proposed changes, and their rationales, and conclude that the periodontal classification carousel will continue to spin until it is realized that the only way forward is a profound reconsideration of what we hope to achieve with classifications.