title: Assessment of the alveolar bone surrounding the mandibular anterior teeth of individuals wearing a tongue stud.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  One of the latest trends in ornamental body piercing focuses on the oral cavity, with the most common piercing site being the tongue. Oral health care professionals are anecdotally reporting the incidence of radiographically detectable alveolar bone abnormalities surrounding the mandibular anterior teeth in patients who wear tongue studs. This research study was conducted to assess the frequency and extent of bone abnormalities in the supporting alveolar bone adjacent to the mandibular anterior teeth in individuals wearing tongue studs.
  
  
  METHODS
  With the use of convenience sampling, periapical radiographs were taken of the mandibular anterior teeth of individuals wearing tongue studs and compared to the radiographs of individuals who had never worn tongue studs (N = 46). Additionally, a self-report questionnaire was used to gather demographic data on participants and specific information related to their piercings. A periodontist conducted blind evaluations of the radiographs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With an alpha level of .05, a one-tailed t test indicated a significant difference between the two groups, t44 = 1.902, P = .032. However, the correlation coefficient comparing length of time to presence of alveolar bone abnormalities was 0.216, indicating a weak relationship between the amount of time that the tongue stud had been worn and the development of abnormalities in the alveolar bone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings indicate that individuals wearing a tongue stud for any length of time are at risk for developing abnormalities in the alveolar bone surrounding the mandibular anterior teeth.
authors.affiliation: Faculty in the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in Orem, Utah, USA. SDOUGHERTY@weber.edu
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Dougherty
authors.forename: Kristy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tervort-Bingham
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000209:etiology*; D046288:Body Piercing / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008336:Mandibular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014059:Tongue / Q000293:injuries*