Question

My daughter (14) demands chewing gum in the morning. She claims that chewing gum is allowed at school. What are the health effects of chewing for hours on end on concentration, teeth, etc.? C. S.in L .

Short answer

Chewing sugar-free gum is not unhealthy. Chewing stimulates the flow of saliva. Chewing gum is also recommended for people who suffer from low salivation. People who have problems with their jaw should be more cautious about chewing gum.

In principle, there is nothing to be said against the moderate chewing of chewing gum that is gentle on the teeth; chewing gum has several effects in the oral cavity, starting from the additives stored in the chewing gum and through the continuous movement of the chewing muscles.

Additives

I will say up front that I am only talking about tooth-friendly chewing gum here. In other words, those that contain no sugar and therefore do not promote tooth decay. They are labeled with a little man with a shield and the words "tooth-friendly". Today, it goes without saying that chewing gum containing sugar should never be chewed for dental prophylactic reasons. 

Caries-inhibiting effect 

The additives include flavorings and those that have a direct effect on the teeth or other organs. The flavorings stimulate the flow of saliva, among other things. Increased saliva flow has a caries-inhibiting effect: the harmful acids of the bacteria are diluted and the food residue sticks less to the teeth. Chewing gum is therefore recommended for patients who suffer from low salivation. There are now chewing gums with additives that have a direct positive effect on the teeth: Mineral salts, carbamide, chlorhexidine, fluorine and others. Some of these substances have a direct caries-protective effect.

Moving the chewing muscles

The chewing movement also has a stimulating effect on saliva flow, which is beneficial for caries prevention. Although chewing gum can improve concentration in schoolchildren, there is a risk that excessive and prolonged gum chewing can overload the chewing muscles and cause pain in the area of the temporomandibular joint and the back of the cheeks.

Overloading the muscles

People who are sensitive to such muscle overload problems should be more cautious about chewing gum, especially in situations that cause increased tension (e.g. students in prolonged examination situations such as A-levels).

Author: Dr. med. dent. Jürg Eppenberger
Published in: Neue Luzerner Zeitung on June 24, 2009