[Risk of oral piercing].

Oral and facial piercing with different kinds of body art are being observed more frequently in medical and dental practices. Principally, piercing is not a new form of body art and is traditional in different geographical areas. Various materials are used. Besides tongue and lip piercing, different locations of the face such as the eyebrows and the nose are anatomical areas of piercing. The aim of this article is to demonstrate different forms of oral piercing, illustrated by own observations. The piercing procedure is briefly described. Piercing is usually performed without local anaesthesia and stepwise. In a literature review, the possible risks and complications are summarised. Postprocedural complications are oedema, haemorrhage and infection. Other complications are foreign body granulomas or allergies, particularly against nickel. Dentists, and oral- and maxillofacial surgeons should be in a position to advise patients with oral or facial piercings or those who plan to have this type of body art performed.