Oral Piercing: Practice or Prejudice?

Authors: Dipayan D

DOI: 10.23880/oajds-16000170

Volume 3, Issue 1

Abstract

 From the dawn of civilization human beings were seen to decorate their bodies with different kinds of ornaments, be it a piece of shell, stone, bone or metal. Jewellery became a form of adornment, sometimes for protection from evil spirits or sometimes for expressing the social status. People from different cultures in different places of the world wear jewellery in various parts of their bodies according to their traditions and beliefs. Many of these practices have turned into fashion modern times. In last two decades, dental jewellery by means of oral piercing got notable attention in many developed and developing countries. Soft tissues in relation to the oral cavity such as lips, tongue, buccal mucosa are pierced and jewellery (usually made of hypoallergenic metals like gold, titanium etc.) of different shapes like stud, barbell, ring etc. are placed. While many people perform oral piercings to look trendy, numerous studies and case reports have established the fact that oral piercings can result in a wide range of oral and systemic complications. 

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