Do oral piercings cause problems in the mouth?

Aim This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesise the current evidence for the association of oral piercings with oral complications.Data sources Research published before January 2022 was identified from the Cochrane Library, Virtual Health Library, Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar and OpenGrey databases. Experts in the field were approached via email to request access to relevant ongoing studies and unpublished results.Study design Two independent reviewers determined the eligibility of studies based on the predefined inclusion criteria. Where the outcome was unclear, a third reviewer was consulted to reach consensus. Using the Joanne Briggs institute criteria for critical appraisal, 15 studies achieved good methodological quality.Meta-analysis was conducted to determine the event rate of gingival recession and damage to teeth in participants with oral piercings and to determine odds ratios of these outcomes in participants with oral piercings compared to those without.Results In total, 54 studies published between 2000-2021 met the inclusion criteria, providing a total sample of 27,963 piercings covering various anatomical sites: tongue (39 studies), lip (29 studies) and other sites, such as oral frenula or cheek (11 studies).Meta-analysis showed that there was a 34% prevalence of dental fracture (DF) in participants with oral piercings and this was 34% for tooth wear, 33% for gingival recession (GR), 27% for non-specified dental damage and 22% for tooth chipping. A significant association was found between oral piercings and the presence of GR and DF, with a seven-fold and three-fold increased risk, respectively, when an oral piercing was present. Reporting bias was not observed and evidence certainty for these outcomes was low.Conclusions The presence of oral piercings is associated with an increased risk of gingival recession and dental fracture.

Lymphogranuloma venereum presenting as an ulcer on the tongue.

Oropharyngeal lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) is an uncommon presentation and mainly consists of either asymptomatic infections or enlarged cervical lymphadenopathy. According to cross-sectional studies, the prevalence of pharyngeal LGV among men who have sex with men (MSM) seems to be very low. Tissue tropism could explain the difference between rectal and oral mucosa infection frequencies. This paper reports the singular case of an oral ulcer caused by LGV in an MSM who had also an asymptomatic rectal infection. Given the increasing number of cases of LGV, unusual presentations such as oral ulceration may be seen more frequently.

Another cause of difficult airway in an elderly patient: Tongue-base abscess.

OBJECTIVE: An abscess of the tongue base is rare, but it can be a potentially life-threatening situation in elderly patients. CASE REPORT: A 72-year-old male patient presented with mid-anterior neck swelling, odynophagia, poor oral hygiene and severe dyspnoea. After a difficult intubation, the muscles were dissected via a submental suprahyoid approach and the abscess was drained. CONCLUSION: Poor oral hygiene may predispose elderly patients to tongue-base abscesses. An early decision should be made for surgical drainage due to the risk of airway obstruction.

Immediately loaded implants in a patient with involuntary mandibular movements: a clinical report.

Immediately loaded implant prostheses have been used to successfully rehabilitate completely edentulous arches. Risk factors for successful treatment have not included involuntary mandibular movements. The treatment was completed on a patient with a history of neuroleptic medications who had remaining mandibular teeth extracted and then developed involuntary mandibular movements. The patient was dissatisfied with a mandibular removable prosthesis and wanted a fixed prosthesis. The immediate implant loading of a complete arch fixed prosthesis was delivered, and the patient lost 3 of the 6 implants. The patient continued to have problems with her definitive prostheses as the symptoms of her involuntary mandibular movements worsened.

Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome caused by glossoptosis with tongue-base suspension.

The objective of the study was to evaluate a surgical method to treat patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) caused by suspected glossoptosis. Seventy-eight patients with OSAHS caused by suspected glossoptosis were non-randomly divided into two groups. The 45 patients in the first group received uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) and tongue-base suspension (Repose). The 33 patients in the second group received UPPP alone. Follow-up was conducted over 6 months, and polysomnography was used to determine the effects of treatment. Follow-up results revealed that the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and ESS scores of the patients from both groups were substantially decreased compared to the corresponding values before surgery. The lowest oxygen saturation (LaSo2) of both groups was improved, compared to the level before surgery. The degree of improvement in patients treated with UPPP + Repose was significantly greater than that seen in patients treated with UPPP alone. In the UPPP + Repose group, 17 patients were cured, 23 showed marked improvement, and 5 did not improve. In the UPPP alone group, 1 patient was cured, 16 showed marked improvement, and 16 did not improve. The marked improvement rates of the two groups were 88.9 and 51.5 %, respectively, a significant difference. Patients who show glossopharyngeal obstruction during sleep, and have normal glossopharyngeal airway morphology when awake, should be suspected to have glossoptosis. Repose surgery is an effective operation for the patients with OSAHS suspected glossoptosis.

Ketamine for palliative sedation in the emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Palliative sedation to treat severely distressing symptoms in those with a poor prognosis is well-accepted. OBJECTIVE: We discuss palliative sedation in the Emergency Department and the use of ketamine. CASE REPORT: We present the case of a patient with angioedema of the tongue and severe respiratory distress. The patient's nursing home was unable to control her symptoms and she was transferred to the Emergency Department. The patient received fentanyl 50 µg i.v. and ketamine 50 mg i.v. every 5 min until adequate palliative sedation was achieved. CONCLUSION: Ketamine can be considered for Emergency Department palliative sedation in selected patients. Identifying and caring for unmet palliative care needs is an important skill for Emergency Medicine.

Reversible oro-lingual dyskinesia related to lithium intoxication.

PURPOSE: To report the first case of Taiwanese with lithium intoxication presenting as oro-lingual dyskinesia. CASE REPORT: A 68-year-old man had bipolar disorder with chronic lithium treatment. He had acute conscious disturbance, atrial flutter, myoclunus of limbs, and oro-lingual dyskinesia. Biochemistry study revealed elevated blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and lithium level (3.43 Eq/L). The lithium is discontinued and he received conservational treatment. Along with reduction of serum lithium level, his involuntary movement subsided following by clear consciousness. He had no residual neurological deficit in 3 years of follow up. CONCLUSION: Oro-lingual dyskinesia is a rare presentation of lithium intoxication. This case reminds us such diagnostic possibilities especially in elder patients who receive a chronic lithium therapy.

Tongue necrosis secondary to giant cell arteritis.

Tongue necrosis is a rare clinical finding because of its rich vascularisation. Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most frequent cause of it, and when present, it is usually one side affected. We describe a patient with several months of constitutional syndrome; during that period, she develops headache followed by tongue necrosis, which lead to clinical suspicion of GCA, later confirmed by a temporal artery biopsy. Before the biopsy, she was treated with corticosteroids. We discuss this illness and tongue necrosis as a rare manifestation to consider.

Prevalence of feline chronic gingivostomatitis in feral cats and its risk factors.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the prevalence of feline chronic gingivostomatitis in urban feral cats in South Korea and analysed its risk factors. METHODS: Three hundred and forty-five feral cats that visited the hospital for neutering using a trap-neuter-return approach were screened for feline chronic gingivostomatitis based on clinical criteria. In addition, we determined if body weight, sex and the presence of tongue lesions are risk factors for feline chronic gingivostomatitis. The difference in severity due to the presence or absence of risk factors, and the relationship between gross findings and histopathological lesions, were analysed by grading lesion severity. RESULTS: Feline chronic gingivostomatitis was diagnosed in 92 cats. Disease prevalence did not significantly differ with body weight and sex but was significantly related to tongue lesions. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The prevalence of feline chronic gingivostomatitis in urban feral cats in South Korea was 26.6%. It was significantly more prevalent in cats that had tongue lesions. Severity was also significantly associated with tongue lesions. Feline chronic gingivostomatitis may be associated with an infectious agent that causes tongue lesions.

Significant association of deficiency of hemoglobin, iron and vitamin B12, high homocysteine level, and gastric parietal cell antibody positivity with atrophic glossitis.

BACKGROUND: Atrophic glossitis (AG) is considered to be a marker of nutritional deficiency. In this study, we evaluated whether there was an intimate association of the deficiency of hemoglobin, iron, vitamin B12 or folic acid, high blood homocysteine level, and serum gastric parietal cell antibody (GPCA) positivity with AG. METHODS: The blood hemoglobin, iron, vitamin B12, folic acid, and homocysteine concentrations and the serum GPCA level in 176 AG patients were measured and compared with the corresponding levels in 176 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. RESULTS: We found that 39 (22.2%), 47 (26.7%), 13 (7.4%), and 3 (1.7%) AG patients had deficiencies of Hb (men < 13 g/dl, women < 12 g/dl), iron (<60 µg/dl), vitamin B12 (<200 pg/ml), and folic acid (<4 ng/ml), respectively. Moreover, 38 (21.6%) AG patients had abnormally high blood homocysteine level, and 47 (26.7%) AG patients had serum GPCA positivity. AG patients had a significantly higher frequency of Hb, iron, or vitamin B12 deficiency, of abnormally elevated blood homocysteine level, or of serum GPCA positivity than healthy control subjects (all P-values = 0.000). However, no significant difference in frequency of folic acid deficiency was found between AG patients and healthy control subjects. CONCLUSION: We conclude that there is a significant association of deficiency of hemoglobin, iron and vitamin B12, abnormally high blood homocysteine level, and serum GPCA positivity with AG.

Close association between oral Candida species and oral mucosal disorders in patients with xerostomia.

OBJECTIVE: Heightened interest in oral health has lead to an increase in patients complaining of xerostomia, which is associated with various oral mucosal disorders. In this study, we investigated the relationship between Candida species and oral mucosal disorders in patients with xerostomia. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We evaluated whole salivary flow rate and presence of oral mucosal disorders in 48 patients with xerostomia and 15 healthy controls. The number of Candida species was measured as colony-forming units after propagation on selective medium. Identification of Candida at the species level was carried out by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. We then examined the relationship between Candida species and oral mucosal symptoms. RESULTS: Compared with controls, patients with xerostomia exhibited significantly decreased whole salivary flow rate, increased rate of oral mucosal symptoms, and higher numbers of Candida. Salivary flow rate negatively correlated with the number Candida. Among patients with oral candidiasis, Candida albicans was isolated from the tongue mucosa and Candida glabrata was isolated from the angle of the mouth. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that particular Candida species are involved in the pathogenesis of oral mucosal disorders in patients with xerostomia.

Efficacy of Coopdech videolaryngoscope: comparisons with a Macintosh laryngoscope and the Airway Scope in a manikin with difficult airways.

We studied the efficacy of the Coopdech videolaryngoscope Portable VLP-100, by comparing it with a Macintosh laryngoscope, and another videolaryngoscope, the Airway Scope (AWS), in a manikin with four simulated difficult airways. In a randomized, crossover design, each of 50 residents inserted the three devices, in turn, and graded the view of the glottis at laryngoscopy. Time to see the glottis, time to intubate the trachea, and the success rate of tracheal intubation (within 120 s) were recorded. In all situations, the AWS provided a significantly shorter time to see the glottis. In a manikin with tongue edema, the AWS was associated with a significantly higher success rate of intubation than the VLP-100 and the Macintosh laryngoscope (P < 0.05). In a manikin with cervical spine rigidity or pharyngeal obstruction, the AWS and the VLP-100 provided significantly higher success rates of intubation than the Macintosh laryngoscope (P < 0.05). In a manikin with laryngospasm, no one could intubate the trachea using any device. Our results indicate that, in patients with difficult airways, the videolaryngoscopes (VLP-100 and AWS) would provide higher success rates of tracheal intubation than the Macintosh laryngoscope, but the VLP-100 may be inferior to the AWS.

Traumatic ulcerative granuloma with stromal eosinophilia (TUGSE): a rare presentation and case report.

Traumatic ulcerative granuloma with stromal eosinophilia (TUGSE) is a rare, benign, and self-limiting ulcerative lesion, with the tongue being the most common site of occurrence and traumatic inflictions being the common etiology. Case report: A 45-year-old female reported to the dental operatory with a complaint of pain on the left side of her tongue for the past 8 months. Her history revealed that a small ulcer had gradually grown to be 2 cm x 1.5 cm on presentation. She indicated that the ulcer often interfered with her maxillary left canine while occluding. She also gave a history of a tobacco chewing habit for 15 years which she stopped 6 years ago. Clinically she had a single erythematous ulcer with irregular borders and raised margins. The client was treated with surgical excision of the lesion. The excised lesion was confirmed histologically to have eosinophil rich cells and was diagnosed as TUGSE. Conclusion: TUGSE should be recognized and not neglected as it closely resembles malignancies of the oral cavity. It also has a good prognosis and heals rapidly after the surgical excision or on its own with time, which may range from a few weeks to a year.

Le granulome ulcératif traumatique avec éosinophilie stromale (TUGSE) est une lésion ulcérative rare, bénigne et spontanément résolutive, la langue étant la zone d'occurrence la plus fréquente et les inflictions traumatiques étant l'étiologie la plus courante. Rapport de cas : Une femme de 45 ans s'est présentée à la salle de traitement dentaire en se plaignant d'une douleur du côté gauche de sa langue depuis les 8 derniers mois. Ses antécédents ont révélé qu'un petit ulcère avait progressivement grossi jusqu'à présenter une taille de 2 cm x 1,5 cm. Elle a signalé que l'ulcère entravait souvent sa canine maxillaire gauche lorsque ses dents étaient en occlusion. Elle a aussi fait état d'une habitude de mastication de tabac pendant 15 ans, ce qu'elle a abandonné il y a 6 ans. Elle présentait cliniquement un seul ulcère érythémateux aux contours irréguliers et des marges surélevées. La cliente a été traitée par excision chirurgicale de la lésion. Une analyse histologique de la lésion excisée a confirmé la présence de cellules riches en éosinophiles et a été diagnostiquée comme étant un TUGSE. Conclusion : Le TUGSE doit être constaté et ne pas être négligé, puisqu'il ressemble de près aux tumeurs malignes de la cavité buccale. De plus, son pronostic est bon et il guérit rapidement après l'excision chirurgicale ou par lui-même avec le temps, qui peut varier de quelques semaines à une année.

Pseudotumoral calcinosis of the spine in systemic sclerosis - an atypical location.

Pseudotumoral calcinosis, particularly around the spine, is a rare complication of systemic sclerosis (SSc). The authors report a case of a 60-year-old woman with a limited cutaneous SSc observed for a 4-month history of back pain. Physical examination revealed a left paravertebral mass measuring around 7cm in the longest axis. The computed tomography (CT) showed the presence of calcified mass in the left paravertebral muscle, extending from the 12th dorsal to the 3rd lumbar vertebra. A diagnosis of pseudotumoral calcinosis secondary to SSc was made. Symptomatic treatment with analgesics allowed a significant improvement of clinical symptoms. Subcutaneous calcinosis is a common complication of SSc, however the pseudotumoral form remains extremely rare, particularly around the dorsolumbar spine. Treatment is limited to analgesic therapy or, in more severe cases, to surgical excision. Follow-up should be conducted to rule out complications.

[Ectopic thyroid gland: clinical features and diagnostics in children].

BACKGROUND: The frequency of ectopia of thyroid gland among all types of dysgenesis varies from 30 to 70%, its most common localization is the root of the tongue. Otorhinolaryngologists, oncologists, pediatricians can take lingual ectopia for hypertrophy of the lingual tonsil or fibroma of the tongue root, which leads to unreasonable surgical treatment. Thyroid scintigraphy plays a key role in the diagnosis of ectopia. AIM: To assess the etiological structure of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) and demonstrate the clinical course in patients with ectopic thyroid tissue in the root of the tongue. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A group of patients with CH was examined. All patients underwent neck ultrasound and radionuclide imaging. The examination was carried out against the background of the abolition of hormone replacement therapy for 14 days or before its initiation. Patients with ectopia in the root of the tongue underwent videofibrolaryngoscopy. Some patients underwent a genetic study with using genes panel of a panel of candidate genes responsible for the development of CH using the NGS method. The molecular genetic study was conducted to some patients, next-generation sequencing with the genes panel. RESULTS: The study included 73 patients with primary CH aged from 2 weeks to 17.3 years: 69 children were diagnosed based on the results of neonatal screening, 4 children with thyroid ectopia were first examined older than 6 years. The median age of patients at the time of the examination was 6.9 years [4.8; 10.0]. By data of ultrasound aplasia was diagnosed in 47.9% of patients, one child had hemiagenesis and ectopic thyroid tissue of various localization was detected in 26.0% of  children. In 24.7% of children thyroid tissue was found in a typical location. Scintigraphy confirmed thyroid aplasia in 65.7% of children. Examination revealed various variants of ectopically located thyroid tissue in 31 children (42.4%): thyroid ectopia in the root of the tongue in 25 children (80.6%), ectopia in the sublingual region in 5 children (16.2%), double ectopia was detected in 1 child. The median level of TSH in newborns with ectopic thyroid gland was 124 IU/ml and was significantly lower than in children with aplasia - 219 IU/ml, p<0.05. On the other side the level of TG in children with ectopia was significantly higher than in children with aplasia - 37.12 ng/ml versus 0.82 ng/ml, p><0.05. CONCLUSION: Combination of two methods is the best diagnostic approach to determine the etiology of CH - ultrasound and scintigraphy studies compensates deficiencies of each other. Our study demonstrates the importance of scintigraphy in children with CH and patients with the formation of the root of the tongue and the anterior surface of the neck in order to avoid unnecessary removal of the thyroid gland. In case of confirmation of thyroid ectopia in the root of the tongue and in the absence of symptoms of obstruction or bleeding, it is recommended to refer the patient to an endocrinologist for conservative treatment. ><0.05. On the other side the level of TG in children with ectopia was significantly higher than in children with aplasia - 37.12 ng/ml versus 0.82 ng/ml, p< 0.05. CONCLUSION: Combination of two methods is the best diagnostic approach to determine the etiology of CH - ultrasound and scintigraphy studies compensates deficiencies of each other. Our study demonstrates the importance of scintigraphy in children with CH and patients with the formation of the root of the tongue and the anterior surface of the neck in order to avoid unnecessary removal of the thyroid gland. In case of confirmation of thyroid ectopia in the root of the tongue and in the absence of symptoms of obstruction or bleeding, it is recommended to refer the patient to an endocrinologist for conservative treatment.

Lingual thyroid: a rare cause of difficult intubation.

This case report is about a patient with an oropharyngeal mass presenting to our hospital for biopsy under general anesthesia. Because of the great risk of failure of mask ventilation and direct laryngoscopy, an awake fiberoptic intubation was performed successfully. The biopsy revealed a thyroid tissue leading to the diagnosis of ectopic lingual thyroid.

Determination of the optimal stylet strategy for the C-MAC videolaryngoscope.

The C-MAC videolaryngoscope is a novel intubation device that incorporates a camera system at the end of its blade, thereby facilitating obtaining a view of the glottis without alignment of the oral, pharyngeal and tracheal axes. It retains the traditional Macintosh blade shape and can be used as a direct or indirect laryngoscope. We wished to determine the optimal stylet strategy for use with the C-MAC. Ten anaesthetists were allowed up to three attempts to intubate the trachea in one easy and three progressively more difficult laryngoscopy scenarios in a SimMan manikin with four tracheal tube stylet strategies: no stylet; stylet; directional stylet (Parker Flex-It); and hockey-stick stylet. The use of a stylet conferred no advantage in the easy laryngoscopy scenario. In the difficult scenarios, the directional and hockey-stick stylets performed best. In the most difficult scenario, the median (IQR [range]) duration of the successful intubation attempt was lowest with the hockey-stick stylet; 18 s (15-22 [12-43]) s, highest with the unstyletted tracheal tube; 60 s (60-60 [60, 60]) s and styletted tracheal tube 60 s (29-60 [18-60]) s, and intermediate with the directional stylet 21 s (15-60 [8-60]) s. The use of a stylet alone does not confer benefit in the setting of easy laryngoscopy. However, in more difficult laryngoscopy scenarios, the C-MAC videolaryngoscope performs best when used with a stylet that angulates the distal tracheal tube. The hockey-stick stylet configuration performed best in the scenarios tested.

Vallecular cyst: a dangerous cause of failure to thrive in infants.

A 2-month-old full-term female infant with medical history of situs inversus totalis presented to the emergency department with congestion and abnormal breathing. She was discovered to have failure to thrive (FTT) and subsequently admitted. Investigations revealed a large vallecular mass at the base of her tongue which was noted to cause severe, intermittent airway obstruction. The mass underwent marsupialisation by otolaryngology (ENT) and pathology confirmed a diagnosis of vallecular cyst. The patient made a full recovery and is now growing and thriving. This case emphasises the need to consider anatomic airway abnormalities in the differential diagnosis of young infants with the constellation of respiratory symptoms and FTT. Such airway abnormalities can cause life-threatening airway obstruction if not discovered.