A 75-year-old male with extensive tooth loss, no smoking and no diabetes; highest probe 6 mm; furcation 2; mobility 2; moderate bone loss. What is the periodontal Stage and Grade?

• A. Stage III, Grade B
• B. Stage II, Grade B
• C. Stage IV, Grade A
• D. Stage III, Grade C

Answer: (A)

Periodontal staging looks at how severe and widespread the tissue destruction is, using CAL, radiographic bone loss, and features like furcation involvement and tooth mobility. Grading then estimates how fast that destruction is likely to progress, considering risk factors and the amount of bone loss relative to age.

This patient has deep pockets (probing depths up to 6 mm) with furcation involvement, mobility, and bone loss that extends to the middle third of the root, which fits Stage III: significant but not yet extensive functional impairment, with CAL typically around or above 5 mm and possible furcation involvement. Although there is extensive tooth loss, the criteria for Stage IV—such as bite collapse or 5 or more teeth lost due to periodontitis plus need for complex rehab—aren’t explicitly met by the information given, so Stage III is the appropriate stage here.

Grade B is indicated because the patient is non-smoking and non-diabetic, and the bone loss relative to age represents a moderate rate of progression (approximately 0.5–1.0% per year), placing it in the middle grade.