On the association between oral piercings and periodontal conditions-A case series.

Objective: To investigate the association between oral piercings and periodontal health or inflammation in patients seeking treatment at the University of Basel, Switzerland.

Material And Methods: Records of patients from the pool of patients at the Department of Periodontology, Endodontology and Cariology were consecutively screened between November 2016 and January 2017. Eighteen patients with a tongue and/or a lip piercing were included. Three out of 18 patients wore both piercings, that is 14 tongue piercings and seven lip piercings were assessed. Epidemiologic, socio-economic, piercing characteristics and clinical parameters were recorded. Periodontal findings in teeth close to the piercing were compared to the parameters of the total dentition.

Results: In patients with a tongue piercing (n = 14), percentages of sites with bleeding on probing, probing pocket depths ≥6 mm, clinical attachment loss ≥6 mm and gingival recessions ≥2 mm were more frequently increased in teeth close to the piercing compared to teeth not affected by the piercing. In patients with a lip piercing (n = 7), periodontal findings did not differ markedly in teeth close to the piercing compared to teeth not affected by the piercing.

Conclusions: Tongue piercings may negatively affect periodontal conditions of teeth with close proximity to the piercing.