Assessment of the alveolar bone surrounding the mandibular anterior teeth of individuals wearing a tongue stud.

PURPOSE One of the latest trends in ornamental body piercing focuses on the oral cavity, with the most common piercing site being the tongue. Oral health care professionals are anecdotally reporting the incidence of radiographically detectable alveolar bone abnormalities surrounding the mandibular anterior teeth in patients who wear tongue studs. This research study was conducted to assess the frequency and extent of bone abnormalities in the supporting alveolar bone adjacent to the mandibular anterior teeth in individuals wearing tongue studs. METHODS With the use of convenience sampling, periapical radiographs were taken of the mandibular anterior teeth of individuals wearing tongue studs and compared to the radiographs of individuals who had never worn tongue studs (N = 46). Additionally, a self-report questionnaire was used to gather demographic data on participants and specific information related to their piercings. A periodontist conducted blind evaluations of the radiographs. RESULTS With an alpha level of .05, a one-tailed t test indicated a significant difference between the two groups, t44 = 1.902, P = .032. However, the correlation coefficient comparing length of time to presence of alveolar bone abnormalities was 0.216, indicating a weak relationship between the amount of time that the tongue stud had been worn and the development of abnormalities in the alveolar bone. CONCLUSION These findings indicate that individuals wearing a tongue stud for any length of time are at risk for developing abnormalities in the alveolar bone surrounding the mandibular anterior teeth.