Children have chewed gum since the Stone Age. Black lumps of prehistoric tar with human tooth impressions have been found in Northern Europe dating from ∼7000 BC (Middle Stone Age) to 2000 BC (Bronze Age).1 The bite impressions suggest that most chewers were between 6 and 15 years of age. The Greeks chewed resin from the mastic tree (mastic gum). North American Indians chewed spruce gum. The first manufacturing patent for chewing gum was issued in 1869 for a natural gum, chicle, derived from the Sopadilla tree, indigenous to Central America. Chewing gum sold today is a mixture of natural and synthetic gums and resins, with added color and flavor sweetened with corn syrup and sugar. Chewing gum is big business. A significant amount of the $21 billion US candy industry sales is from chewing gums, many of which appeal almost exclusively to children. Despite the history and prevalence of gum chewing, the medical literature contains very little information about the adverse effects of chewing gum. In the present report, we briefly review gum-chewing complications and describe three children who developed intestinal tract and esophageal obstruction as a consequence of swallowing gum.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
1 August 1998
Electronic Article|
August 01 1998
Chewing Gum Bezoars of the Gastrointestinal Tract
Address correspondence to David E. Milov, MD, 83 West Columbia St, Orlando, FL 32806.
Pediatrics (1998) 102 (2): e22.
Article history
Received:
December 30 1997
Accepted:
April 09 1998
Citation
David E. Milov, Joel M. Andres, Nora A. Erhart, David J. Bailey; Chewing Gum Bezoars of the Gastrointestinal Tract. Pediatrics August 1998; 102 (2): e22. 10.1542/peds.102.2.e22
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Purchased this content as a guest? Enter your email address to restore access.
Please enter valid email address.
Pay-Per-View Access
$35.00
Comments