Mukbang/Cookbang viewing and adolescent oral symptoms: A nationally representative analysis of social patterning in South Korea

Mukbang (eating-broadcast) and Cookbang (cooking-broadcast) content, a globally distributed digital food exposure originating in South Korea, reaches adolescents through algorithmically curated platforms, yet its population-level implications for oral health remain uncharacterised. Pooled cross-sectional data from 106,005 Korean adolescents (2022 and 2025 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Surveys) were analysed using design-based methods. Viewing frequency was classified as not watching (32.2%), ≤3 times/month (30.3%), 1–4 times/week (26.4%), and ≥5 times/week (11.1%); two-thirds (67.8%) had viewed such content in the preceding 12 months. Design-based logistic regression estimated adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for two patient-reported oral symptoms, toothache and gingival pain/bleeding; natural direct and indirect effects through sugary beverage intake, late-night snacking, and fast-food intake were estimated by g-computation. Viewing frequency was associated with both symptoms in a dose-response pattern. Comparing ≥5 times/week with not watching, aORs were 1.21 (95% CI, 1.14–1.28) for toothache and 1.22 (1.15–1.30) for gingival pain/bleeding (P for trend < .001). Sugary beverage intake and late-night snacking, but not fast-food intake, carried significant indirect effects, accounting for 29.6% (22.2–42.7) and 18.0% (13.2–25.5) of the respective total effects; these proportions are a design-based decomposition of cross-sectional associations and require longitudinal confirmation. The toothache association was stronger in females and middle-school students. Given that most adolescents are exposed and one in nine views this content near-daily, even modest individual-level associations imply an appreciable population burden. Korean food-advertising law already covers this age group and these food categories, but not the platforms that carry the content.