Body piercing practices and attitudes among urban adolescents

Perception and Knowledge of Oral and Facial Piercings among Dental Students: Web-based Survey

AIM

The aim of this web-based questionnaire was to survey dental students to obtain their perception and knowledge of oral and facial piercings.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The participants comprised 240 students enrolled in the dental school who were asked to complete 20 close-ended, yes/no, yes/no/do not know, and multiple responses questions. The questionnaire covers general information concerning oral/facial piercing, triggers why youths and early adults get it, probable complications, their appreciation of the possibility of related health conditions, and their knowledge and perception. The survey was distributed to the students by email. The results were tabulated and statistically analyzed.

RESULTS

Dental first year (D1) and dental second year (D2) were substantially more likely to indicate that orofacial piercings as unacceptable and are less expected to have an orofacial piercing compared to D3 and D4 (p < 0.01). About 16.8% of the students reported previous orofacial piercings. There was a definite correlation between previous orofacial piercings and thinking that is appropriate in society (p < 0.05). Males were significantly more likely to have an orofacial piercing (p < 0.01). The Internet was reported as the most common source of information. The most popular cause for piercings is to be unique and different.

CONCLUSIONS

Orofacial piercings are relatively frequently used by students in dental school and few students intend on getting one in the future. Knowledge of the hazards of orofacial piercing correlated with the requirement for parental approval. The majority of students think piercings are appropriate in society and know their complications and risks.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Orofacial piercing has been gaining popularity but its risks/complications may not be known by practitioners. There is a need for research to assist dental/medical practitioners in advising, educating, and safeguarding patients by evaluating of the perception and knowledge of students about orofacial piercings.

Health risks for body pierced community: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

Body piercing is defined as the penetration of jewellery into openings made in different body areas. In the last decades, it has become increasingly common in the general population. The aim is to analyse the available literature about complications from body piercing for contributing to raise the awareness towards this issue and to plan and perform appropriate prevention interventions.

STUDY DESIGN

This is a systematic review.

METHODS

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were used to perform this systematic review; the protocol was registered with PROSPERO [CRD42020177972]. PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science were searched from database inception to April 2020, and articles in English language reporting a proven association between piercings and health risks were included, and their quality were assessed by adequate quality assessment tools.

RESULTS

A total of 4748 studies were found, and after duplicates removal and screening, 84 articles were included. Studies dealing with microbiological effects reported these complications both locally and at distant sites as a result of the spreading of the primary site infection: mastitis, endocarditis, glomerulonephritis, cephalic tetanus, viral hepatitis, HIV, cerebellar brain abscess and toxic shock syndrome. In addition, bleeding, gingival recession, dental injuries, contact dermatitis, granulomatous dermatitis, keloid, fibroma and basal cell carcinoma were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

Health authorities should promote educational campaigns to spread the knowledge on health risks related to piercings. Besides, piercers are often not adequately aware of all the possible adverse effects due to piercings because their professional training differs among countries. It is therefore advisable to provide periodical upgrade of their education in this field.

Adolescent and Young Adult Tattooing, Piercing, and Scarification

Tattoos, piercing, and scarification are now commonplace among adolescents and young adults. This first clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics on voluntary body modification will review the methods used to perform the modifications. Complications resulting from body modification methods, although not common, are discussed to provide the pediatrician with management information. Body modification will be contrasted with nonsuicidal self-injury. When available, information also is presented on societal perceptions of body modification.

Body piercings and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in young adults

Body piercing, which is prevalent in young adults, has been suggested to be associated with features usually related to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) such as high-risk behaviours and psychopathological symptoms and might be motivated by a wish to deal with prior traumatic experiences. However, to date, no research has investigated the relationship between this practice and PTSD symptoms. The present research aims to investigate the possible relationship between body piercing and PTSD symptoms in French-speaking young adults. According to our results, having two or more body piercings was associated with a twofold increased risk for scoring above the cut-off score for PTSD on the PTSD checklist. Our findings suggest that two or more body piercings might serve as an identifiable marker for PTSD symptoms and may have important implications for clinical screening.

The Influence of Facial Piercings and Observer Personality on Perceptions of Physical Attractiveness and Intelligence

The primary aim of the present study was to examine the influence of facial piercings on observer ratings of physical attractiveness and intelligence. A total of 440 women and men rated a set of stimuli that depicted a female and a male model, respectively, with varying numbers of facial piercings. Participants also completed measures of the Big Five personality factors and sensation seeking, and provided information of their own piercings. Results indicated that, controlling for participants’ own piercings, stimuli with piercings were rated as less physically attractive and intelligent than those without piercings, with multiple piercings being accorded the most negative ratings. In addition, men with piercings were rated more negatively than women with piercings. Further results showed that participants’ openness to experience and sensation seeking were associated with more positive ratings of pierced individuals, and that greater number of participant piercings was correlated with the Big Five personality factors of Emotional Stability, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness, and sensation seeking. These results are discussed in relation to the extant literature on body modifications.

Awareness of health risks related to body art practices among youth in Naples, Italy: a descriptive convenience sample study

Background

Body art practices have emerged as common activities among youth, yet few studies have investigated awareness in different age groups of possible health complications associated with piercing and tattooing.

Methods

We investigated perceptions of and knowledge about health risks. To highlight differences among age groups, we gathered data from students at high schools and universities in the province of Naples.

Results

Of 9,322 adolescents, 31.3% were pierced and 11.3% were tattooed. Of 3,610 undergraduates, 33% were pierced and 24.5% were tattooed (p < 0.05). A higher number of females were pierced in both samples, but there were no gender differences among tattooed students. Among high school students, 79.4% knew about infectious risks and 46% about non-infectious risks; the respective numbers among university students were 87.2% and 59.1%. Only 3.5% of students in high school and 15% of university undergraduates acknowledged the risk of viral disease transmission; 2% and 3% knew about allergic risks. Among adolescents and young adults, 6.9% and 15.3%, respectively, provided signed informed consent; the former were less knowledgeable about health risks (24.7% vs. 57.1%) (p < 0.05). Seventy-three percent of the high school students and 33.5% of the university students had body art done at unauthorized facilities. Approximately 7% of both samples reported complications from their purchased body art.

Conclusions

Results indicate a need for adequate information on health risks associated with body art among students in Naples, mainly among high school students. Therefore, adolescents should be targeted for public health education programs.

Jewellery- and ornament-related injuries in children and adolescents

BACKGROUND

Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in children and teenagers in Canada. Few publications have addressed injuries caused by jewellery and ornaments in children.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the mechanisms and the incidence of injuries caused by jewellery and ornaments in children and teenagers, to identify children at high risk for these type of injuries and to recommend specific injury prevention strategies.

METHODS

Data were analyzed from a Canadian database (Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program) of a tertiary paediatric centre. All patients between zero and 18 years of age who were diagnosed in the emergency department with jewellery- and ornament-related injuries during a 10-year period (1997 to 2006) were identified. Patients were categorized according to six age groups (younger than one year of age; one to two years of age; two to four years of age; five to nine years of age; 10 to 14 years of age, and 15 to 18 years of age). For each case, the context and the mechanism of injury were investigated.

RESULTS

From a total of 150,771 reported injury cases, 380 (0.25%) were jewellery related. Unlike with most trauma, girls predominate in this kind of injury (n=288; 75.8% of cases). Over one-half of cases (58.1%) were reported for children four years of age or younger. Emergency physicians reported the presence of jewellery as a foreign body in a natural orifice (mouth, nose, ear or genitourinary tract) in 308 cases (81%). No case of intestinal obstruction, strangulation or death was reported. Eleven cases (2.9%) required emergency hospitalization, all for endoscopic evaluation of a foreign body in the airway or in the digestive tract. In the adolescent group, five cases of injuries secondary to piercing were reported.

CONCLUSION

The present study demonstrates that, although jewellery-related injuries are relatively infrequent, some can cause severe injuries that could compromise patients' health. As a primary prevention strategy, doctors and health professionals working with children should make parents and caregivers aware of the possibility of trauma in children wearing or playing with jewellery, especially in the zero- to four-year-old group requiring closer supervision. Specific anticipatory guidance concerning piercing may be helpful to adolescents.

Body piercing and tattoo: awareness of health related risks among 4,277 Italian secondary school adolescents

Background

The awareness of health risks associated with body art among secondary school pupils has never previously been studied in depth. A large sample of secondary school adolescents from the Veneto Region (North East Italy) were investigated in order to inform health education programs.

Methods

6 public secondary schools from each of the 7 Provinces of the Veneto Region were selected. All students attending the 1^st, 3^rd, and 5^th school years were surveyed by an anonymous self administered questionnaire on their perception of health risks related to body art and other explanatory variables. Logistic regression analysis was employed, reporting adjusted Odds Ratios (OR) with 95% Confidence Interval (CI).

Results

Among 4,277 available students (aged 14-22 years), boys were consistently: less knowledgeable of infectious diseases related to body art (OR = 0.78; CI: 0.66, 0.94), less likely to be aware of the hygienic norms to be observed in a body art parlour (OR = 0.54; 0.44, 0.65), less likely to refer to a certified body art parlour (OR = 0.56; 0.48, 0.66), less likely to refer to a professional health care provider for complications related to body art (OR = 0.71; 0.59, 0.86). Students attending the first school year (baseline) had a lesser knowledge of body art related infectious diseases, were less likely to refer to a certified body art parlour, and to know the mandatory hygienic rules to be observed when performing body modifications. Interviewees from the provinces of Rovigo and Vicenza were less likely to be conscious of the health risks associated with body modifications, and those with tattoos were less knowledgeable about the infection risk (OR = 0.60; 0.42, 0.86) and less likely to refer to a professional health care provider in case of medical complication (OR = 0.68;0.48, 0.95). Students with piercings were less likely to refer to a certified practitioner for receiving body art (OR = 0.62; 0.50, 0.77) or therapy for medical complications (OR = 0.37; 0.29, 0.46).

Conclusions

Health education programs should focus on males, pupils attending lower school years, living in specific Provinces of the Region, and with a positive attitude towards piercing or tattoo.

Body art (body piercing and tattooing) among undergraduate university students: "then and now"

PURPOSE

To survey the prevalence of body art and incidence of medical complications among university students comparing results in 2001 and 2006.

METHODS

Students reported body piercings and tattoos and occurrence of medical complications.

RESULTS

Prevalence of body piercing was 51% and tattooing 22%. Piercing medical complication incidence was 19%. No tattooing medical complications occurred.

CONCLUSIONS

Body art is prevalent among undergraduate university students, with prevalence essentially unchanged during two consecutive 5-year samples. Medical complications occur frequently among those with piercings.

The hole picture: risks, decision making, purpose, regulations, and the future of body piercing

Can it be said that body piercing is ubiquitous, found across all socioeconomic groups? The major concentration is among adolescents and young adults 15 to 30 years old, in some studies, 50% of the population. Commonly identified physical risks are bleeding, tissue trauma, and bacterial infections; psychosocial risks are unhappiness, low self-esteem, and disappointment. The Health Belief Model is used to explain decision making; purposes for body piercing consistently center on personal expression (self-identity) and uniqueness. The international and US body piercing regulations are discussed, leading to the need for tracking complications globally and standardization of regulations. Proactive health education for clients and health providers remains a priority.