Tongue Piercing: The Impact of Material on Microbiological Findings

Purpose:Biofilms on oral piercingsmay serve as a bacterial reservoir and lead to systemic bacteremia or local transmission of pathogenic microbiota. The use of piercing materials which are less susceptible to biofilm accumulation could contribute to prevention of problems. The present study investigated whether there are microbiological differences in bacterial samples collected from tongue piercingsmade of differentmaterials. Methods: A total of 85 subjects with tongue piercings participated in this study. After a baseline dental examination, sterile piercings of four differentmaterialswere randomly allocated to the study subjects. After 2 weeks, microbiologic samples were collected and processed by checkerboard deoxyribonucleic aciddeoxyribonucleic acid hybridization methods. Results: About 28.8% of subjects reported 61 lingual recessions (1.91 .96 mm), whereas 5% reported tooth chipping on one tooth each. With the exception of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Y4), Fusobacterium nucleatum species, and Parvimonas micra, bacteria associated with periodontitis were not commonly found in the samples from studs or piercing channels. Of the 80 bacterial species, 67 were found at significantly higher levels (p .001) in samples from stainless steel than from polytetrafluoroethylene or polypropylene piercings. Conclusion: The lowbacterial counts frompiercing channels suggest that having a tongue piercedwould not contribute to an increased risk for oral infection. The present study demonstrated that studs made of steel might promote the development of a biofilm, whereas those made of polytetrafluoroethylene or polypropylene may be rather inert to bacterial colonization. The finding of Staphylococci on steel and titanium studs may suggest an elevated risk for complication if the piercing channel is infected. 2010 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Body piercing and other body modifications have increased tremendously in popularity in recent years [1], especially among teenagers and young adults in the industrial world. Oral piercing mostly involves the lips, tongue, and cheeks, with tongue being the most commonly pierced intraoral site [2,3]. In a cross-sectional household survey of 10,503 British adults, the prevalence of tongue piercing was 6.5% in those aged 16–24 [3]. From a medical perspective, the use of tongue jewellery cannot be considered a harmless fashion trend as it can produce undesired local and general effects [4]. Early complications include bacterial infection, pain, swelling, prolonged bleeding, and difficulties in swallowing, speech, and mastication [5]. Late complications include chipped and fractured teeth, gingival trauma, localized periodontitis, persistent difficulties in oral functions, and swallowing of the device [5]. The published data on medical implications of tongue piercingmainly Includes case reports and a limited number of clinical studies [4–7]. Therefore, many biological questions related to these foreign bodies, such as biofilm formation, remain unaddressed. With infections being one of the most frequent piercing complications [8], biofilm formation on oral piercing is a fundamental issue. Additionally, biofilms on oral piercings may serve as a bacterial reservoir and lead to systemic bacteremia and even septic complications. The piercing procedure exposes the piercee to a high risk of infection because the oral cavity harbors a huge amount of bacteria [4]. The high * Address correspondence to: Ines Kapferer, M.D., Department of Restorative and Operative Dentistry, Dental School, Innsbruck Medical University, Reichenauerstra e 46, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria. E-mail address: [email protected] Journal of Adolescent Health xx (2010) xxx