Ornamenting the tongue, lips or cheeks with jewelry can result in damage to the teeth and gums, according to a team led by Dr John Brooks of Baltimore’s University of Maryland Dental School.

Tongue piercing is characterized by damage to gum tissue behind the lower front teeth, while lip piercing may injure gum tissue in front of the lower teeth, the researchers warn.

This damage can lead to an increased risk of recessed gums, loose teeth and even tooth loss. Additional consequences can include chipped or fractured teeth, pain, infection and inflammation or nerve damage at the site of the piercing.

The study’s authors, writing in the Journal of the American Dental Association, describe five case studies of young adults with intraoral and perioral piercing jeweler, and describe the health of their gums next to their ornamentation.

In every case the subjects exhibited a degree of gum recession and gum injury near the site of their oral jeweler.

Three of the patients had probing depths or pockets – spaces between teeth and gums – around the teeth that ranged from 5 to 8mm that may indicate moderate to severe periodontitis.

They point out that probing depths indicate the amount of attachment loss or depth of pockets that have developed between the gums and teeth. When the loss is severe the teeth can become loose, fall out of their own accord or require removal by a dentist.

In one case study a healthy 19-year-old woman with a tongue piercing was found one year after the procedure to have a probing depth of around 6mm around her bottom mid-front tooth. And five months after this the researchers identified a probing depth of 8mm.

Dr Brooks said, “Wearing oral piercing ornaments, even over relatively short periods, may result in significant deformities to gingival tissue (gums) that might not respond satisfactorily to surgery and, in fact, lead to tooth loss.

“Because severe attachment loss can develop even when gingival recession is minimal, it is critical that patients with oral piercing routinely undergo a comprehensive periodontal assessment.”

The study also reveals that the most commonly pierced oral sites are the tongue and lip at 81 per cent and 38.1 per cent, respectively.


Source: Journal of the American Dental Association

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