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ADA Statement on Intraoral/Perioral Piercing
( for more info on Diet and Dental Health, visit www.ada.org )
Piercing is becoming a more prevalent form of body art and self-expression
in today's society. However, oral piercings, which involve the tongue
(the most common site), lips, cheeks, uvula or a combination of sites,
have been implicated in a number of adverse oral and systemic conditions.
Patients typically undergo piercing procedures without anesthetic.
In tongue piercing, for example, a barbell-shaped piece of jewelry typically
is placed to transverse the thickness of the tongue at the midline in
its anterior one-third using a needle. Initially, a temporary device
longer than the jewelry of choice is placed to accommodate postpiercing
swelling. The free end of the barbell stem then is inserted into the
hole in a ventral-dorsal direction. The recipient grasps the free end
of the shank between the maxillary and mandibular anterior teeth and
screws the ball onto the stem. The barbell also can be placed laterally,
with the studs on the dorsolateral lingual surface. In the absence of
complications, healing takes four to six weeks.
In lip or cheek piercing, jewelry position (usually a labrette) is
determined primarily by aesthetics with consideration to where the jewelry
will rest intraorally. Once position is determined, a cork is usually
placed inside the mouth to support the tissue as it is pierced with
a needle. The needle is inserted through the tissue and into the cork
backing. The needle then is replaced with the labrette stud, and the
disc backing is screwed into place. Healing time can range from weeks
to months.
Common symptoms following piercing include pain, swelling, infection
and increased salivary flow. Potential complications of intraoral and
perioral piercings are numerous, although available scientific literature
is rather limited and consists mainly of case reports. Possible adverse
outcomes secondary to oral piercing include increased salivary flow;
gingival injury or recession; damage to teeth, restorations and fixed
porcelain prostheses; interference with speech, mastication or deglutition;
scar-tissue formation; and development of metal hypersensitivities.
Because of the tongue's vascular nature, prolonged bleeding can result
if vessels are punctured during the piercing procedure. In addition,
the technique for inserting tongue jewelry may abrade or fracture anterior
dentition, and digital manipulation of the jewelry can significantly
increase the potential for infection. Airway obstruction due to pronounced
edema or aspiration of jewelry poses another risk, and aspirated or
ingested jewelry could present a hazard to respiratory or digestive
organs. In addition, oral ornaments can compromise dental diagnosis
by obscuring anatomy and defects in x-rays. It also has been speculated
that galvanic currents from stainless-steel oral jewelry in contact
with other intraoral metals could result in pulpal sensitivity.
The National Institutes of Health has identified piercing as a possible
vector for bloodborne hepatitis (hepatitis B, C, D and G) transmission.
Disease transmission (e.g., hepatitis B, tetanus, localized tuberculosis)
has been associated with ear piercing, and cases of endocarditis have
been linked to both nose and ear piercing.
Secondary infection from oral piercing can be serious. A recent article
in the British Dental Journal reported a case of Ludwig's angina, a
rapidly spreading cellulitis involving the submandibular, sublingual
and submental fascial spaces bilaterally, that manifested four days
after the 25-year-old patient had her tongue pierced. Intubation was
necessary to secure the airway. When antibiotic therapy failed to resolve
the condition, surgical intervention was required to remove the barbell-shaped
jewelry and decompress the swelling in the floor of the mouth.
Because of its potential for numerous negative sequelae, the ADA opposes
the practice of intraoral/perioral piercing.
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Document Posted: November 01, 1999
Page Updated: April 20, 2001
Document address: http://www.ada.org/prof/prac/issues/statements/piercing.html
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