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Wednesday July 23, 1997 2:24 PM EDT
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- The current craze for piercing of the lips and tongue could lead to infection, tooth damage, and difficulties with speech and breathing, say two dental school instructors.
``Oral piercing has associated risks,'' say Drs. Sheila Price and Maurice Lewis, in an article published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association. Price and Lewis both teach at the School of Dentistry at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia.
The popularity of piercing of various body sites continues among America's youth. But the authors say the moist, active environment of the mouth provides an ideal setting for piercing-based infection and injury.
``Piercing oral structures presents a high risk of infection because of vast amounts of bacteria in the mouth,'' they explain.
``Oral piercing often involves the lips, cheeks, tongue, uvula (the small piece of tissue which hangs at the back of the throat), or any combination of these sites,'' the authors write, ''with the tongue being the most commonly pierced intraoral site.''
The procedure itself usually occurs without anesthesia, and with minimal amounts of antiseptic (usually little more than commercially available mouthwash). Most ``body piercers are unlicensed and often self-trained,'' the experts say, ``learning the procedures by watching their peers or videotapes.'' However, piercers must follow infection control standards to prevent transmission of infection, such as hepatitis and HIV, note the authors.
Once completed, piercing of the tongue causes swelling which can compromise breathing. There is also a risk of prolonged bleeding if blood vessels are cut.
Jewelry inserted in the tongue usually takes the form of stainless steel, silver, or gold barbell-shaped rods capped with balls. This ornamentation ``can injure... by chipping or cracking teeth,'' the West Virginia dentists say, as well as interfere with speech, eating, chewing, and swallowing.
Most of this oral jewelry is removable, but Price and Lewis note that the frequent introduction of fingers into the mouth increases the risk of infection. They say infection risk can also rise over time as food particles collect around piercing sites.
Some recipients of oral piercing have inadvertently swallowed their jewelry -- which could lead to choking. For example, one patient of Price and Lewis, a 20-year-old man, admitted to having had his uvula pierced in the past.
However, the dentists say ``he reported having swallowed the uvula ornamentation and allowed the pierced site to heal rather than install a new device.''
Other complications of oral piercing include scar tissue formation, the development of hypersensitivity to the metals in the jewelry, and the risk of foreign bodies such as food becoming lodged in the pierced site.
The two authors advise that dentists ``be aware'' of the trend and counsel patients who are considering oral piercing.
SOURCE: Journal of the American Dental Association
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