Tongue studs can also increase the risk of deadly brain abscesses

In 2009, the doctors of a man who died weeks after getting his tongue pierced warned that tongue piercings can cause fatal brain abscesses: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8302444.stm Despite the risks, however, tongue piercings still remain common place. A dental health site has compiled a list of the seven most common oral health hazzards associated with tongue piercings, and the most serious ones include Hepatitis and HIV infection, blood loss, nerve damage and death: http://www.brainandspinalcord.org/blog/2009/11/02/do-tongue-piercings-put-the-brain-at-risk/