Declassifying the Mobility Classification.

Abstract Tooth mobility is often discussed among dental healthcare providers according to a numerical scale, i.e., 1, 2 or 3, without a clear understanding of the definition of each category. Thus, a comprehensive review to examine and discuss the various classifications is needed. Purpose The aim of this comprehensive review is to discuss the main clinical classifications of tooth mobility. Materials and Methods The authors conducted electronic searches in MEDLINE, Scopus, and Pubmed. Additionally, the authors manually searched the textbooks, gray literature and bibliographies of all relevant articles. Results The most commonly referenced clinical index for mobility was the Miller Index. Yet, many other mobility classifications exist as well as modifications of those indices. The literature has been very inconsistent and at times inaccurate when classifying mobility: 1) various stages of mobility using Grades, Classes and scores interchangeably; and 2) not defining the meaning of the actual numerical scores/terminologies. Discussion In order to avoid ambiguity and provide clarity regarding the impact of degrees of mobility when used clinically, this review comprehensively discusses different classifications and definitions of tooth mobility with attention to the importance of using them consistently and accurately. There is a need to standardize one classification for mobility.