Researchers looked at data from nearly 24,000 American adults to see if eating inflammatory foods (foods that cause swelling in your body) might be connected to mouth pain. They found that people who ate more inflammatory foods had a 19% higher chance of experiencing mouth aching compared to those who ate less inflammatory foods. The connection was especially strong in younger people, women, and people who used to smoke. This suggests that changing what you eat might help reduce mouth pain, though more research is needed to fully understand how diet and mouth pain are connected.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether eating foods that cause inflammation in your body is linked to experiencing pain in your mouth and teeth
  • Who participated: 23,802 adults living in the United States who answered questions about what they eat and whether they’ve had mouth pain in the past year
  • Key finding: People who ate the most inflammatory foods were 19% more likely to have mouth pain than people who ate the least inflammatory foods, even after accounting for other health factors
  • What it means for you: Eating less inflammatory foods might help reduce mouth pain, but this study shows a connection, not proof that diet causes the pain. Talk to your doctor or dentist before making major diet changes for mouth pain relief

The Research Details

This was a cross-sectional study, which means researchers looked at information collected at one point in time from a large group of people. They used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a long-running government study that tracks the health and eating habits of Americans from 2005 to 2018.

Researchers used a special scoring system called the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) to measure how inflammatory each person’s diet was. This score looks at the types of foods people eat and rates them based on whether they cause inflammation (swelling) in the body. They then compared these diet scores to whether people reported having mouth pain in the past year.

The researchers used statistical tools to look for connections between diet scores and mouth pain, and they adjusted their analysis to account for other factors that might affect mouth pain, like age, weight, smoking history, and alcohol use.

This research approach is important because it looks at real-world eating patterns and health outcomes in a very large group of people. By studying such a large sample, researchers can spot patterns that might not show up in smaller studies. However, because this is a cross-sectional study, it can only show that two things are connected—it cannot prove that one causes the other.

This study has several strengths: it includes a very large number of participants (nearly 24,000), uses government health data that’s carefully collected, and adjusts for many other factors that could affect results. However, the study relies on people remembering and reporting their own mouth pain, which might not be completely accurate. Also, the study only shows a connection between diet and mouth pain at one point in time, so we can’t be sure if changing diet would actually reduce pain.

What the Results Show

The main finding was clear: people who ate the most inflammatory foods had a higher risk of mouth pain. Specifically, 27.19% of people eating the most inflammatory diet reported mouth pain, compared to 20.69% of people eating the least inflammatory diet. This means people in the high-inflammation diet group had about a 19% increased risk of mouth pain.

The researchers found this connection even after accounting for many other factors that could affect mouth pain, such as age, gender, weight, smoking history, and how much alcohol people drink. This suggests that the diet-pain connection is real and not just explained by these other factors.

The study also found that certain groups of people showed a stronger connection between inflammatory diet and mouth pain. These groups included younger adults, women, non-Hispanic White people, people with higher incomes, people at a healthy weight, former smokers, and people who drink less alcohol.

The study revealed that the connection between inflammatory diet and mouth pain was not the same for everyone. Younger people showed a stronger connection than older people, suggesting that diet might affect mouth pain differently depending on age. Women showed a stronger connection than men. People with higher incomes and education levels also showed a stronger connection, which was surprising and suggests that other factors beyond just diet might be involved.

This is one of the first large studies to look at the connection between inflammatory diet patterns and mouth pain in a general population. Previous research has shown that inflammation in the body can affect oral health and tooth pain, but this study provides stronger evidence by looking at a much larger group of people. The findings support the idea that what you eat can affect your mouth health, which aligns with growing research showing that diet influences many types of pain and inflammation in the body.

This study has several important limitations to keep in mind. First, it relies on people remembering what they ate and whether they had mouth pain, which might not be completely accurate. Second, the study only shows that inflammatory diet and mouth pain are connected at one point in time—it doesn’t prove that eating inflammatory foods actually causes mouth pain. Third, the study didn’t look at specific types of mouth pain (like tooth pain versus gum pain), so we don’t know if diet affects different types of pain differently. Finally, the study was conducted in the United States, so the results might not apply to people in other countries with different diets and health systems.

The Bottom Line

Based on this research, eating less inflammatory foods appears to be a reasonable strategy that might help reduce mouth pain. Foods that tend to be less inflammatory include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and nuts. Foods that tend to be more inflammatory include processed foods, sugary drinks, red meat, and fried foods. However, this is a moderate-confidence recommendation because the study shows a connection but doesn’t prove cause and effect. If you have ongoing mouth pain, talk to your dentist or doctor before making major diet changes.

This research is most relevant for people who experience regular mouth pain or aching, especially younger adults and women who seem to show a stronger connection in this study. People with a history of smoking might also benefit from paying attention to their diet. However, if you don’t have mouth pain, this study doesn’t suggest you need to change your diet specifically for oral health reasons. People with serious mouth pain should see a dentist to rule out other causes like cavities or gum disease.

If you decide to change your diet to reduce inflammation, you should expect to wait several weeks to a few months to notice any improvement in mouth pain. Diet changes work gradually, and the body needs time to respond. Don’t expect immediate results, but consistent eating of less inflammatory foods over time may help reduce pain.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track your daily inflammatory food score by logging meals and noting your mouth pain level (on a scale of 0-10) each evening. Look for patterns over 2-4 weeks to see if reducing inflammatory foods correlates with less pain
  • Replace one inflammatory food per day with an anti-inflammatory alternative (for example, swap sugary cereal for oatmeal with berries, or replace a soda with herbal tea). Track which swaps feel easiest and most effective for your mouth pain
  • Create a weekly summary comparing your inflammatory food intake to your mouth pain levels. Set a goal to gradually shift your diet toward more anti-inflammatory foods over 8-12 weeks, and monitor whether your pain decreases

This study shows a connection between inflammatory diet and mouth pain but does not prove that diet causes mouth pain. Mouth pain can have many causes, including cavities, gum disease, tooth grinding, and other dental or medical conditions. If you experience persistent mouth pain, see a dentist or doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment. Do not use diet changes as a replacement for professional dental or medical care. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making significant dietary changes, especially if you have existing health conditions or take medications.