The British Dental Association has issued a public warning about the dangers of tongue piercing amid concern that the fashion statement is a serious health risk. Tongue studs, the BDA warned, can be dangerous because they are close to the airway and can be inhaled or swallowed if they come loose.
Swollen tongues can interfere with breathing, and infections under the tongue can spread rapidly.
The potential side effects are serious. Severely infected piercings have been reported as causes of septicemia and toxic shock syndrome. A report of the case in the British Dental Journal in 1997 said the condition failed to respond to antibiotics, so the stud was surgically removed. But she later collapsed and was able to return home only after eight days in the hospital. Even then, she may have gotten off lightly.