Dentists warn of giant burger dangers

Dentists in Taiwan are urging fast food restaurants to put health warnings on giant burgers to warn customers of the dangers of over-extending their jaws.

They say many burger eaters have ended up having to see dentists for treatment to jaw-related injuries after trying to eat extra large burgers, reports the China Post.

Hsu Ming-lun, associate professor of the School of Dentistry of National Yang-Ming University, said two fast food chains in particular were responsible for the problem.

Some diners had suffered sore jaws and some even had difficulties opening their mouths - typical symptoms of Temporomandibular dysfunction, an injury related to jaws, he added.

Another dentist, Chen Yun-chih, said people normally opened their mouth up to four centimetres to eat but some of the burgers were more than eight centimetres high.

"Consumers are thus forced to over-extend their jaws in order to bite into these burgers and thereby suffer jaw-related injuries," he explained.