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Incidental radiological findings of susuk in the orofacial region

¹ Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; ² Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; ³ Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; ⁴ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

*Correspondence to: Roszalina Ramli, FDSRCS Eng,Email: r2tdh2004{at}yahoo.co.uk

Received 31 October 2005; revised 3 January 2006; accepted 15 January 2006

Susuk, or charm needles, are inserted and worn subcutaneously in the face and other parts of the body, as they are believed to enhance beauty and youth, and for many other reasons such as treatment of headache, aches and pains in the joints, back or abdomen. The practice of inserting susuk is a traditional belief, genuinely cultural and superstitious, and common in the south-east Asian region. We present 13 cases of susuk, which was found incidentally on the radiographs as the patients came for various types of treatment at our centre.

Keywords: talisman; charm needle; radiography,; dental; cultural practice; south-east Asia