On the value of the 2017 classification of phenotype and gingival recessions

The 2017 World Workshop completely restructured knowledge in periodontology with a series of official consensus statements jointly agreed upon by the American Academy of Periodontology and the European Federation of Periodontology. Among them, the 2017 classification of phenotype and gingival recession successfully incorporated the most relevant previous classifications into a treatment-oriented diagnostic matrix. Despite the significant advantages related with the implementation of this new classification of gingival recessions, recent articles still report data based on previous outdated systems. Therefore, the present commentary aimed to dive into the key advantages of the 2017 classification of phenotype and gingival recession, and to stress why it should be fully integrated into research and practice settings.

Automated summary

The 2017 World Workshop on periodontology completely restructured knowledge in the field, particularly focusing on the classification of phenotype and gingival recession. Despite the significant advantages of the new classification, recent articles still use outdated systems, emphasizing the importance of fully integrating the new classification into research and practice settings.