Indulging in chewing gum is common among children, youth and adults. One sees people usually chewing gum when they are tense and nervous or when a lot of mental activity is involved. However the activity of chewing can have a negative impact on the health of the person and at times can even prove fatal. According to the medical experts frequent chewing of gum leads to dental health problems, tooth decay, cavities and gum disease. It releases mercury from dental fillings and is even associated with irritable bowel syndrome. Chewing too much gum also causes problems like jaw pain, tightening of facial muscles leading to headaches, diarrhoea and other digestive problems like abdominal pain and bloating. However the worst part of gum chewing activity is that it can prove fatal. Gum chewing can cause obstruction of the airway. If not dislodged in time the person can even die as a result of choking. Recently a 15-year old boy in a metropolitan city died due to choking while chewing gum. Young people should not get addicted to gum chewing and children should be dissuaded from indulging in the activity in order to prevent any untoward incident.
