When available, the Online Course format is included with the hard copy, eBook, or audio book formats!
Release Date: July 31, 2013
Review Date: June 21, 2016
Expiration Date: June 20, 2019
Tattoos and body piercing have been common in many cultures for centuries. So-called body art is a relatively recent fashion in the Western world, but it appears to be gaining in popularity. Body art involves tattooing, scarification, and the wearing of jewelry in unconventional places on the body. Although the reasons for piercing are varied in the West, it is generally considered either a form of body art, fashionable, or daring. Despite the increased popularity of body piercing in Western countries, it is still considered deviant behavior by segments of the wider society, which may explain why some individuals do not present for their dental appointments with their piercing jewelry in place.
With oral or facial piercings now becoming more commonplace in the United States, dentists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons need to be able to advise patients who have piercings or are considering having piercings. It is critical that dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants be familiar with various types of oral piercing, the impact this trend may have on dentition and speech, and the health risks that are associated with piercing. This basic-level course provides dental practitioners with an overview of oral piercing placement, procedures, complications, and patient management. A few of the risks of oral piercing include pain (the procedure is performed without anesthetics), postplacement edema and the risk of prolonged bleeding if the blood vessels are punctured during the piercing, and fracture of tooth structures.
AGD Subject Code: 730
Western Schools designates this activity for 3 continuing education credits.
- Describe the sites and procedures for perioral and intraoral piercing.
- Identify the complications associated with oral piercing.
- Describe the management of complications associated with oral piercing.
- Explain the dental professional’s role in educating patients about oral piercing.
John F. Kross, MSc, DMD, received his doctorate in dental medicine from Temple University School of Dentistry in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He completed a fellowship at Temple University Hospital in oral oncology and received a hospital appointment to the Department of Dentistry at the Medical Centers of Delaware (now the Christiana Health Care System). His professional training and experience include practicing general dentistry in Wilmington, Delaware, and in New London, Pennsylvania, as well as instructing students at Delaware Technical Community College in oral pathology. Dr. Kross has received numerous academic awards for his work in oral surgery, fixed partial prosthodontics, periodontics, and endodontics. He has been composing monographs, manuscripts, and continuing medical education courses since 1991.
- Courses must be completed within one (1) year of the date of purchase or by the expiration date indicated above, whichever date comes first.
- You must score 75% or higher on the final exam and complete the course evaluation to pass this course and receive a certificate of completion.
- Through our review processes, Western Schools ensures that the course content is presented in a balanced, unbiased manner and is free from commercial influence. It is Western Schools’ policy not to accept commercial support.
- All persons involved in the planning and development of this course have disclosed no relevant financial relationships or other conflicts of interest related to the course content.
- There are no prerequisites for this course.