Young men are buying “Facial Fitness” chewing gum that promises to bulk up their jawlines. But dentists say the products are not particularly effective or safe. By Callie Holtermann A square ...

The authors were surprised to find that chewing natural gums didn’t really make a difference. The average number of microplastics in 1 gram of synthetic gum was 104, and in natural gum it was 96.

A recent pilot study found that chewing gum – even those labeled "natural" – can release hundreds to thousands of microplastics into the body, according to researchers at the University of ...

Extrapolating this further, a 2–6 gram piece of gum may release as many as 3,000 microplastics. Multiply that by the average amount of gum chewed annually, that you could be looking at around ...

Chewing gum — especially sugar-free varieties — can help clean teeth by stimulating saliva production. However, when done too often, it can cause wear and tear on the teeth and jaw muscles.

An unrelated 2016 study found that gum chewing is a significant source of phthalate exposure. Phthalates are chemicals used to increase the flexibility and durability of plastics.