title: Colonization of Candida: prevalence among tongue-pierced and non-pierced immunocompetent adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the colonization of Candida at the tongue-piercing site of immunocompetent individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Swabs samples were obtained from the anterior lingual mucosa of healthy young adults with tongue piercing (N = 115); 86 subjects with (non-intra-oral) facial piercing served as a comparison group. Candida colonization was examined by light microscopy after 5-day incubation. Positive specimens were re-cultured on Chromagar Candida plates for species identifying.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Candida colonization was more prevalent among tongue-pierced (20.0%) than facial-pierced subjects (9.4%; P = 0.048). All colonies were of Candida albicans. No difference was found between current tongue ornament wearers (21.2%) and non-wearers (19.5%; P = 0.803). In multivariate analysis, the only significantly positive influencing factors on colonization were tongue piercing (P = 0.034) and daily smoking of more than 10 cigarettes (P = 0.024).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Piercing of the tongue was found to be a risk factor for colonization of Candida albicans, without an influence of whether or not an ornament is in place.
authors.affiliation: The Zrifin Central Dental Clinic, Medical Corps, Israel Defense Forces, Jerusalem, Israel. yzadik@gmail.com
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zadik
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Burnstein
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Derazne
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sandler
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ianculovici
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Halperin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D046288:Body Piercing / Q000295:instrumentation; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000254:growth & development*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D005145:Face / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007121:Immunocompetence / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D012907:Smoking; D014059:Tongue / Q000382:microbiology*; D055815:Young Adult