Dental and oral complications of lip and tongue piercings

Abstract

Piercing of the tongue and perioral regions is an increasingly popular expression of body art, with more patients coming in for a routine check-up with tongue and/or lip piercings. Several complications of oral piercing have been reported, some of which are life-threatening. In the present clinical survey the prevalence of both tongue and lip piercing complications in oral health was assessed in a group of 50 patients. The most common dental problem registered was chipping of the teeth, especially in association with tongue piercing. Gingival recession was seen as a result of lip piercing with studs. Postprocedural complications included oedema, haemorrhage and infection. Therefore, dentists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons should be given more authority to advise patients with oral and facial piercings or those who plan to acquire this type of body art

Le piercing lingual et ses complications : implications militaires

“…Le perçage de la langue est fortement lié à l'ébréchure, la fracture et la fissure des dents et à l'usure du bord incisif. Selon De Moor et al, 80 % des patients avec un piercing de la langue présentent une perte de substance dentaire et une ébréchure des couronnes en céramique [78]. Il y a de plus une corrélation positive entre la longueur des tiges de type barbell utilisées dans le piercing de la langue et les dommages faits aux tissus durs.…”

Oral piercing and its implications on the health of oral tissues: Aesthetics or mutilation?

“…Lesions may not only involve enamel but also dentin and sometimes damage pulp. 4,10 Enamel cracks, fissures, groove shaped abrasions and recession were observed by Ziebolz et al 7 Tiny cracks can form and cause severe pain and may result in tooth fracture. 20 Tongue and lip jewelry are more likely to cause damage to the teeth since they interfere in mastication, speech or other functions.…”

“…20 Tongue and lip jewelry are more likely to cause damage to the teeth since they interfere in mastication, speech or other functions. 4,10,13 Jewelry with soft or rubber ends cause less damage than those made with metals.…”

“…Friction from piercings along with their location and size would affect the oral tissues. 4,10 Gingival recession in labial aspect of lower incisors is more often associated with lower lip piercing. 4,10,17,18 Uneventful healing, keloids and hypertrophic scarring have also been reported.…”

“…2,3 The prevalence of oral and/or peri-oral piercings varies from 0.8% to 12%, resulting in a mean prevalence of 5.2% as reported by Hennequin et al 3 Oral piercing is more common in the oral tissues such as the tongue (5.6%) which is the most frequent site followed by the lips (1.5%), the cheeks (0.1%) and rarely the uvula. [3][4][5] Other sites include floor of the mouth, gingiva, and frenums. 5 Oral piercing is more prevalent in women (5.6%) than men (1.6%).…”