CHEWING GUM BEZOARS OF THE GASTROINTESTINAL-TRACT

Children have chewed gum since the Stone Age. Black lumps of prehistor ic tar with human tooth image. Black lumps of prehistoric tar with hum an tooth impressions have been found in Northern Europe dating from si milar to 7000 BC (Middle Stone Age) to 2000 BC (Bronze Age).(1) The bi te impressions suggest that most chewers were between 6 and 15 years o f age. The Creeks chewed resin from the mastic tree (mastic gum). Nort h American Indians chewed spruce gum. The first manufacturing patent f or chewing gum was issued in 1869 for a natural gum, chide, derived fr om the Sopadilla tree, indigenous to Central America. Chewing gum sold today is a mixture of natural and synthetic gums and resins, with add ed color and flavor sweetened with corn syrup and sugar. Chewing gum i s big business. A significant amount of the $21 billion US candy indus try sales is from chewing gums, many of which appeal almost exclusivel y 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-c hewing complications and describe three children who developed intesti nal tract and esophageal obstruction as a consequence of swallowing gu m.