Dr. Thomas Kilgore Offers Oral Health Expertise in Boston Globe

In a recent Boston Globe article (Is it dangerous to get your tongue pierced?, January 15) probing the perils of tongue piercing, Dr. Thomas Kilgore, associate dean for advanced education, comments on the risk of infection associated with the trend.

"Our mouths are quite resistant to our own organisms," Kilgore says. "Most bacteria in the mouth are our own bacteria, so there is a certain degree of immunity."

While the risk of infection is low, columnist Judy Foreman concludes other possible consequences such as chipped teeth and inhaled metal studs make tongue-piercing an ill-advised practice.