Chewing Gum Is Associated with Better Diet Quality but Not Oral Health Measures in U.S. Adults

Abstract

Objective

Chewing gum (especially sugar-free gum) has been linked to improved oral health, however there is an absence of observational research using nationally-representative data in the United States. We sought to examine the factors associated with chewing gum and its relationship with the oral health status of U.S. adults.

Methods

Cross-sectional data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013–2018 cycles were used in these analyses. Primary outcomes were the odds of having gum disease, treatment for gum disease, ever being told of bone loss around teeth, root caries, caries, and restoration. Unadjusted and multivariate logistic regression models were used to investigate the relationship of chewing gum use with demographic/lifestyle factors and the oral health status of participants.

Results

2.40% (n = 365) of adults were users of chewing gum and the average among users was 5.20 ± 0.40 g/d. Users of chewing gum were more likely to be female, younger in age, and non-Hispanic Black or Hispanic. Self-reported chewing gum use did not affect the oral health status of U.S. adults (OR: 1.10, 95% CI: 0.42–2.88 for gum disease; OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 0.64–2.81 for treatment for gum disease; OR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.27–1.17 for bone loss around teeth; OR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.32–3.12 for root caries; OR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.54–1.69 for caries), except for restoration (OR: 3.54, 95% CI: 1.78–7.06), but was associated with improved diet quality (OR: 1.86, 95% CI: 1.11–3.12 for a healthy eating index (HEI) of 51–59; OR: 1.96, 95% CI: 1.08–3.56 for HEI of 60–93); and decreased intakes of snacks (OR: 1.64, 1.01–2.69), and added sugars.

Conclusion

Future observational studies that more accurately capture chewing gum usage are needed, as these analyses have several limitations.

Keywords:

• Chewing gum
• oral health
• dental caries
• diet
• nutrition surveys

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest, aside from funding for the analyses.

Data availability statement

The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding article upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

Funding for this study was provided through an unrestricted educational grant from Reach Global Strategies to Think Healthy Group, LLC. The sponsor had no role in the study design; the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; the writing of the manuscript; or the decision where to submit the paper for publication. The authors strictly adhered to the American Society of Nutrition’s guiding principles for funding of food science and nutrition research (36).