ORNAMENTAL DENTISTRY - AN OVERVIEW

Ph: 0091 9447378920 ABSTRACT The use of intraoral jewellery and piercings of oral and perioral tissues have been gaining popularity among adolescents and young adults. Intraoral jewelry or other oral accessories may lead to increased plaque levels, gingival inflammation and/or recession, caries, diminished articulation, and metal allergy.(26,27) Oral piercings involving the tongue, lips, cheeks, and uvula have been associated with pathological conditions including pain, infection, scar formation, tooth fractures, metal hyper-sensitivity reactions, localized periodontal disease, speech impediment, and nerve damage.(28,29). Life-threatening complications associated with oral piercings have been reported, including bleeding, edema, endocarditis, and airway obstruction.(30,31). Unregulated piercing parlors and techniques have been identified by the National Institutes of Health as a possible vector for disease transmission (eg, hepatitis, tetanus, tuberculosis) and as a cause of bacterial endocarditis in susceptible patients.(26)