The document discusses the historical development and current classification of periodontal diseases. It outlines several past classification systems from the 19th century based on clinical characteristics to more recent systems from the late 20th century incorporating etiology and pathogenesis. The current 1999 classification system from the International Workshop for a Classification of Periodontal Diseases and Conditions is explained in detail, categorizing diseases based on factors like plaque-induced vs. non-plaque induced gingival diseases, chronic vs. aggressive periodontitis, and periodontitis as a manifestation of systemic diseases.