Recently, the self-proclaimed “King of Mukbangs” Nicholas Perry, better known as Nikocado Avocado, hit the headlines for his secret 250-pound weight loss after years of chowing down on excessively large quantities of food.
His transformation reignited discussions about mukbang’s global popularity, but while its physical toll — such as overeating, obesity, and eating disorders — has been widely debated, the effects on oral health remain largely overlooked.
Recognising this gap, Longevita Dental analysed mukbang’s most popular foods and consulted Dr Gizem Seymenoglu — a registered dentist at Longevita’s Medical Aesthetics Clinic in Chelsea — to assess the oral health risks associated with them.
Here’s what we found:
Top 10 Most Popular Mukbang Foods
| 1. | Spicy noodles |
| 2. | Various gummies |
| 3. | Jelly pudding candy |
| 4. | Macarons |
| 5. | Octopus |
| 6. | Corn dog |
| 7. | Chicken wings |
| 8. | Chocolate |
| 9. | Kimchi |
| 10. | Marshmallow |
Impact on Oral Health
Taking note of the foods that are harmful to oral health, this is what Dr Gizem had to say for the following:
Sugary Foods
It is widely understood that sugary foods are one of the worst culprits of poor oral health.
With half of the top ten mukbang foods being sweet, Dr Gizem first said: “Gummies, jelly pudding candy, macarons, chocolate, and marshmallows are worse than the rest. The sugar in them will become a source of food for the bad bacteria in your mouth, which will then produce acids that harm the tooth’s enamel.”
“But even worse are foods that stick to the teeth, such as chocolate, marshmallows and, of course, gummies. They stick directly to the surface of the tooth and erode the enamel even more quickly,” she added.
Moreover, she cautioned that such foods not only affect the surface of the teeth but also get stuck in between them, leading to rampant caries.
Fatty Foods
Though fatty foods may not directly harm oral health, the expert dentist warns these foods can be problematic when paired with sweet sauces, such as honey-laden chicken wings or corn dogs dipped in honey mustard — but especially with corn dogs, there’s another issue to watch out for.
“Corn dogs contain processed meat, which research has shown to be linked with cancer, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Indirectly, these conditions may harm your teeth as well. For instance, type 2 diabetes can lead to an increase in blood sugar, which can increase the risk of gum disease,” Dr Gizem explained.
Furthermore, while not exactly a “fatty” food, at least when consumed in moderation, the octopus can also be troublesome to a degree owing to its high sodium content and risk of heavy metal contamination. “Too much sodium can negatively affect the amount of calcium in the body — a mineral that helps strengthen the enamel. Additionally, octopus can contain heavy metals, such as lead and cadmium, both of which have been reported to affect the tooth enamel and dentin, the middle layer of the tooth, increasing the risk of decay,” she noted.
Spicy & Acidic Foods
According to Dr Gizem, spicy noodles and kimchi can also indirectly damage your teeth due to their spice content triggering certain health conditions.
“Capsaicin is a compound in chilli peppers that causes a burning sensation when consumed. This can result in acid reflux or exacerbate it. And acid reflux, in turn, carries the risk of dental erosion and cavities.”
On acidic sauces that may accompany foods, such as chicken wings or octopus, she added: “Acidic foods can also disrupt the integrity of the enamel by lowering the pH and making the teeth more vulnerable to decay.”
Adding to this acidic combo can be the fizzy drinks that mukbangers can be seen guzzling in between bites, which can further harm their teeth.
How Switching Foods May Help Reduce Harm
Interestingly enough, Dr Gizem revealed a simple trick that might help in keeping the teeth protected when mukbanging, explaining that it’s all about balancing your mouth’s pH level.
“Sugar, no matter how you eat it, lowers the pH of the mouth, causing tooth enamel to demineralise. This can, in turn, allow the bacteria in the mouth to penetrate the tooth. Once the bacteria reach the dentin, cavities form.”
“However, if you were to alternate between sweet and salty foods, that would balance your mouth’s pH, keeping your teeth far more protected. For instance, marshmallows followed by kimchi, chocolate followed by chicken wings — these will balance things out. In fact, eating sugary foods after a meal is better than snacking on them.”
In some mukbang videos, you can see this happening as well. For example, DONA 도나, the most popular mukbangers with 33 million subscribers on YouTube, one of the duo begins her feast with spicy noodles and pizza and finishes it with strawberry sandwiches and macarons.
While such videos alone do not give a complete picture of how her eating habits affect her oral health, they do align with expert recommendations for balancing the pH of the mouth.
How Mukbangers Can Further Protect Their Teeth
For mukbangers, Dr Gizem also advises drinking water after meals as it helps wash away leftovers in the mouth. However, she does caution against brushing the teeth immediately after eating something.
“Brushing right after consuming something acidic, when the pH has dropped, can damage the enamel. The best practice is to rinse the mouth or drink water and then brush the teeth after half an hour.”
Methodology
1. Following the news of mukbang sensation Nikocado Avocado’s health transformation, the team at Longevita Dental created a seed list of top mukbang YouTubers by conducting detailed research using keywords such as “mukbang YouTubers” and “mukbangers.” The top 10 were ranked based on their subscriber count, listed from highest to lowest.
1.a. All mukbangers were YouTube-based, however, those inactive for more than one month and not exclusively focused on mukbanging were excluded. Additionally, any food challenges by mukbangers and eating challenge YouTubers were excluded from our analysis to maintain consistency.
2. The 10 most-viewed mukbang videos of each of the top 10 YouTubers were analysed, noting all the foods consumed to identify a trend.
3. After determining the top 10 most-consumed foods, Dr Gizem Seymenoglu, Longevita’s GDC-registered dentist (176886) and aesthetician, discussed the harms of different foods and what can be done to mitigate them.