Adverse Events are Associated with Oral Piercings: A Systematic Review

Methods: We conducted a systematic review (1996 to present) on the adverse events associated with oral piercings. The following search engines were used: Ovid MEDLINE, PUBMED and Google Scholar. Overall a total of 393 articles were retrieved, 105 reviewed, 173 eliminated, 116 duplicates and four articles were found in the references of other articles. Three additional references were used to define terms encountered during the literature review.

Results: Case reports (74) provide the majority of research on oral piercings. Fourteen cross-sectional studies were also reported. The tongue and lip are the two most common oral piercings sites; however the cheeks and uvula can also be pierced. Piercers are usually unlicensed and untrained. There are a number of acute and chronic complications associated with oral piercings. Among the most common adverse events associated with oral piercings are chipped, fractured or cracked teeth (4%-51%) and gingival recession (2%-80%). Life-threatening complications that have been reported include: transmission of blood-borne pathogens, endocarditis (6), Ludwig's angina (1), Lemierre's syndrome(1) and hemorrhage (1).

Conclusion: Health professionals should be aware and knowledgeable of these risks in order to provide their patients appropriate advice.