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Victoria Sisco
Brittany Ryder

ORAL PIERCINGS
The piercing procedure involves a
person to be at a high risk of
infection because the oral cavity
harbors a huge amount of infection.
As dental professionals, it is
important to be educated on:
- Different types of piercings
- Various oral structures and tissues
affected
- Acute and chronic complications
- Cleaning and maintenance

DIFFERENT TYPES OF ORAL PIERCING

Tongue rings
are the most
popular
among oral
piercings

A lip piercing can be pieced in

numerous different ways as
shown below

Uvula
piercing
Maxillary and mandibular labial

ACUTE COMPLICATIONS
WITH ORAL PIERCINGS
Acute complications
may occur immediately
after receiving an oral
piercings and may
include:
Swelling
Bleeding
Pain
Changes in speech
Difficulty in swallowing

and mastication

CHRONIC COMPLICATIONS WITH

ORAL PIERCINGS
Oral Piercings have the potential
to cause gingival trauma and
recession.
With everyday activities, such as
talking, eating, swallowing and
constant movement the ball or
the back of the piercing rubs and
causes irritation within the oral
cavity.

CHRONIC COMPLICATIONS (cont.)

An example of a
chipped tooth that was
caused from a tongue
ring.

Bifid tongue resulted

from tongue ring.

Blood borne infection is a major

concern. If the needle is contaminated,
the person getting the piercing can
contract HIV and hepatitis. A new and
sterile needle should always be used
when getting a piercing.

CLEANING AND MAINTAINCE

Different types of cleaning
solutions:
Wound washing saline
solutions, over the counter
- Use a pad to dab the
solution on every side of the
piercing site
Sea salt solutions:
- 250 mL of boiling water
- teaspoon of noniodized sea salt
For smokers, non-alcoholbased mouthwash and to
swish after each cigarette
The mouthrinse solutions,
should be swished for 15 to 30

Cleaning the piercing

site
It is advised to clean the
piercing site 2-3 times a
day. Yet over-cleaning can
be harmful, signs of overcleaning include a
white/yellow-coated tongue.
The hygienist should make
recommendations based on
the method of cleansing
they are using. Changes can
be made based on too much
or type of salt, type of
saline solution, and too
frequent and type of
mouthwash can cause
white/yellow-coated tongue.

HEALING PROCESS
The average healing period of an
oral piercing to fully heal is 3-4
weeks
Swelling generally lasts 10-14
days

Patients should be encouraged to refrain from

touching the site unless absolutely necessary,
if they should touch it, wash their hands first
and only touch the piercing site.
It is important that the piercing is scrubbed
daily with a soft-bristle toothbrush to prevent
biofilm buildup, especially on the ventral side
of the tongue

REFERENCES
ABNER, T., FRANCO, Z., & ALQAHTANI, B. (2015). Taking care of piercings. Rdh, 35(9), 110-112 3p.\
Hennequin-Hoenderdos, N., Slot, D., & Van der Weijden, G. (2011). Complications of oral and perioral piercings: a summary of case reports. International Journal Of Dental Hygiene, 9(2), 101-109
9p. doi:10.1111/j.1601-5037.2010.00504.x
Plastargias, I., & Sakellari, D. (2014). The Consequences of Tongue Piercing on Oral and
Periodontal Tissues. ISRN Otolaryngology, 1-6. doi:10.1155/2014/876510
Dougherty, S. L., & Tervort-Bingham, K. (2005). Assessment of the alveolar bone surrounding the
mandibular anterior teeth of individuals wearing a tongue stud. Journal Of Dental Hygiene: JDH /
American Dental Hygienists' Association, 79(4), 8.
Ziebolz, D., Hornecker, E., & Mausberg, R. (2009). Microbiological findings at tongue piercing sites
- implications to oral health. International Journal Of Dental Hygiene, 7(4), 256-262 7p.
doi:10.1111/j.1601-5037.2009.00369.x