Cinnamon chewing gum and mouth irritation in reported cases
What it found
Cinnamon-flavoured chewing gum can cause mouth irritation, most often a reaction called contact stomatitis.
Its signs look like other common mouth problems, making it hard to spot.
What they found
Studies in people
Mouth irritation from gum
Chewing gum flavoured with cinnamon can trigger mouth reactions. The most frequent one is an allergic irritation of the mouth lining known as contact stomatitis.
Hard to diagnose
The signs of a cinnamon allergy in the mouth look very similar to other everyday mouth problems. This makes it difficult for doctors to tell them apart.
Other findings
Different specialists involved
People with these mouth reactions might visit dentists, skin doctors, or allergy doctors. The authors suggest these specialists work together to reach the right diagnosis.
What the authors conclude
- They put forward a new step-by-step method to help doctors correctly identify mouth reactions caused by cinnamon.
- They recommend that dentists, skin doctors, and allergy doctors work together when treating patients with these symptoms.
How it was done
The authors note that mouth reactions to cinnamon may happen more often than people think. Because the symptoms look like other mouth conditions, doctors often miss or misdiagnose them.
They gathered published case reports and case series of mouth reactions linked to cinnamon chewing gum. They looked at the symptoms, how doctors diagnosed the problem, and how it was treated. They also created a step-by-step guide for diagnosing this condition.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This work relies on individual case reports rather than large controlled studies. It cannot show how often these mouth reactions happen across all people who chew cinnamon gum.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Messina, Italy; Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Policlinico 'G. Martino', Italy
The paper
- Title
- Oral adverse reactions due to cinnamon-flavoured chewing gums consumption
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Calapai G, Miroddi M, Mannucci C, Minciullo P, Gangemi S (2014). Oral adverse reactions due to cinnamon-flavoured chewing gums consumption. Oral diseases. doi:10.1111/odi.12170PubMed 24004186DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error