New consensus on periodontal disease in children

Iveta Ramonaite, Dental Tribune International

Fri. 1. May 2026

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MADRID, Spain: Periodontal disease in children and adolescents can be difficult to diagnose and manage due to inconsistent definitions and the limitations of adult-focused classification systems. A new consensus report from the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) and the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry (EAPD) provides an update on the epidemiology, risk factors and treatment strategies for periodontal disease in children and adolescents. The report highlights age-appropriate diagnostic and management approaches that account for developmental differences in periodontal tissue.

Prof. David Herrera, co-author of a recent consensus report on periodontal disease in children and adolescents. (Image: Prof. David Herrera)

The report was developed at a workshop in Madrid in March last year, during which 30 experts reviewed evidence from three commissioned systematic reviews and discussed its implications to determine a consensus for clinical practice. The workshop aimed to update knowledge on the epidemiology, aetiology, risk factors, diagnosis and management of periodontal disease in children and adolescents and to assess whether the 2018 classification of periodontal diseases is suitable for this age group. It covered the topics in three clinically relevant groups: gingival and periodontal diseases in children and adolescents with systemic diseases and conditions, gingival diseases and conditions in systemically healthy children and adolescents, and periodontal diseases and conditions in systemically healthy children and adolescents.

Workshop co-chair Dr David Herrera, professor of periodontics and associate dean of dental clinics at the Complutense University of Madrid, told Dental Tribune International that the project was prompted by concerns that the 2018 classification and EFP clinical practice guidelines were designed largely for adults. “Understanding whether these frameworks were also valid for children and adolescents was considered very important and became the main objective of the project,” he said.

According to Prof. Herrera, one of the report’s central messages is that periodontal care in children and adolescents cannot be extrapolated from adult practice. Growth, eruption, exfoliation and mixed dentition can make probing and interpretation of attachment loss more difficult, and systemic or developmental factors may alter periodontal risk. The report therefore provides age-specific guidance for screening, diagnosis and management.

Prof. Herrera said the review findings underline the importance of closer monitoring of periodontal health in younger patients, especially given the high prevalence of gingivitis, the potential severity of necrotising periodontal diseases and links with systemic conditions.

The article, titled “Gingival and periodontal diseases and conditions in children and adolescents: Consensus report”, was published online on 15 April 2026 in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, ahead of inclusion in an issue.