Oral piercings: what implications do these have on our oral health?

This systematic review aims to explore the literature surrounding awareness of oral health implications following oral/perioral piercings, and evaluate potential oral complications following these piercings.

Searches were carried out across scientific databases including PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane and Google Scholar for all studies published until April 2023.

Primary research including cross-sectional, cohort, and case-control studies that met the inclusion criteria were included in the systematic review. This criteria included papers that measured public/professional awareness, periodontal/peri-implant complications, microbiological analyses, general and hard/soft tissue complications, and frequency of complications. Exclusion criteria including those not published in English, all in vitro and in vivo research, case reports, interventional studies, correspondence, comments, letters to the editor, and editorials.

Data was extracted from 34 studies which met the inclusion criteria. A data collection form was used to collate the extracted information on bibliographic details, research methodology, patient demographics, piercing types, health assessments, research findings, and conclusions. The risk of bias in the selected studies was also assessed.

The study demonstrates a large disparity between the public's and dental health professionals' awareness of oral health complications following oral/perioral piercing. The results also show that piercings are more common in women than men, and that piercings have been linked to several adverse consequences including both hard and soft tissue injury, and the type of complication commonly relates to the position of the piercing.

Oral piercings have been linked to several oral health complications including caries, plaque accumulation, gingivitis/periodontitis, dental fractures, bleeding, inflammation and swelling of the surrounding soft tissues. Public knowledge of these risks is limited, and therefore public health authorities should implement and support initiatives to raise awareness.