Abstract
Aggressive periodontitis is a debilitating oral disease that results in rapid destruction of the periodontal tissues. It has recently been reclassified and ongoing efforts are now being made to understand its pathogenesis and record its prevalence in the population. This case report gives a brief outline of studies that have investigated why this disease tends to occur in otherwise young healthy adults. The mechanisms behind such extensive periodontal damage are discussed. A case report of a patient with aggressive periodontitis, treated in the Dublin Dental School and Hospital, is presented and the rationale behind his treatment is discussed.