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Levin L, Zadik Y et al. Dent Traumatol 2005; 21: 341–343

There are numerous well-known adverse effects of body piercing and the ornaments thus attached. In an Israeli dental clinic, 389 of 400 consecutive patients agreed to complete a questionnaire on oral piercing, and underwent dental examination. Mean age was 20 yrs and 54% were male. More than half the subjects were unaware of the potential problems of piercing and ornaments worn therein, and 79 reported current and past piercing ornamentation.

Ornaments had been worn for up to 5 yrs. About half of those pierced had experienced significant swelling and half, significant bleeding. Tongue piercing was present in 39, and 22 had previously worn such ornaments; respective figures for the lower lip were 8 and 14, and elsewhere on the body, 13 and 4. Examination showed 15 fractured teeth (mainly maxillary incisors) in 11 subjects, bleeding in 11, infection in 9, and gingival recession in 21 (mainly mandibular incisors).