Orofacial piercing and its relationship with oral disorders in adolescents

Abstract

Introduction: orofacial piercing is a common practice among adolescents; however, it entails risks that can make it a public health problem. Complications occur during the piercing or at any time during the period in which the jewelry remains inserted.

Objective: to gather information on oral disorders associated with the use of orofacial piercings in adolescents.

Methods: a descriptive bibliographic review was carried out. The documentary search included the ScieLO, Elsevier, Springer, Science Direct, PubMed, and ClinicalKey databases, and the Google Scholar search engine. The terms orofacial piercing, oral-dental alterations, and adolescents were used.

Development: in the oral cavity, the most frequent sites for piercings and their corresponding jewelry are: tongue, lips, cheeks, uvula, and combinations thereof. Of these, the lower lip and tongue are the most common. The negative consequences of this practice for oral health vary from mild to severe, occasionally life-threatening: inflammation, edema, pain, receding gum, local bleeding, mouth ulcers, malocclusion, trismus, foreign body reactions, Ludwig's angina, dental fractures, infections, mucogingival trauma, and gingival recession.

Conclusions: oral and dental alterations associated with the use of orofacial piercings in adolescents are a public health problem due to their frequency and the risks and complications they entail. This research can be a starting point for designing and implementing health promotion and education interventions aimed at preventing the negative consequences of the use of orofacial piercings.