A case of a deeply impacted pierced ornament in the tongue

Body piercing is becoming more popular. Increasing popularity of tongue piercing has led to a rise in infectious complications and secondary metal allergy. We report a rare case of a deeply impacted metal barbelltype pierced ornament into the tongue.A 19-year-old man was referred to our hospital by a general practitioner bacause of discomfort of the tongue and difficulty in eating. The patient had a slight swelling of the tongue. Physical examination revealed a hard mass in the body of the tongue. Mandibular occlusal radiographs showed a radiopaque body measuring about 3×3mm in the center of the tongue. The clinical diagnosis was a foreign body in the tongue. The foreign body was removed surgically under local anesthesia. We performed element analysis of the removed foreign body. The patient's progress has been good, without functional disorders of the tongue.