International Classification of Diseases Codes and their Use in Dentistry

The deadline for replacing International Classification of Diseases, 9th edition (ICD-9) code sets with the newer ICD-10 code sets, used for the reporting of medical diagnoses and inpatient hospital procedures, was recently updated to occur at a date no sooner than October 1, 2015; with October 1, 2015 being the likely implementation date. The transition to ICD-10 is mandatory for all entities covered by the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA). This review will provide a brief history of the development of ICD codes; provide an overview of ICD-9/ICD-9-Clinical Modification (CM) and ICD-10/ ICD-10-CM/Procedural Coding System (PCS) codes; provide information on the conversion of ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS codes; and provide information on the uses of ICD codes in dentistry in the United States.