Oral malodour (halitosis)

doi:10.1136/bmj.38954.631968.AE

BMJ 2006;333:632-635 (23 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.38954.631968.AE

Clinical review

Oral malodour (halitosis)

S R Porter, professor of oral medicine¹, C Scully, dean and director of studies and research¹

¹ Oral Medicine Unit, UCL Eastman Dental Institute, 256 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8LD

Correspondence to: S RPorter S.Porter@eastman.ucl.ac.uk

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Introduction

Oral malodour (halitosis) is common; most people have some elementof transient unpleasant oral odour at some time.¹ ^w1 In thedeveloped world, 8-50% of people perceive that they have persistentrecurrent episodes of oral malodour. This article provides asuccinct review of oral malodour relevant to medical practitioners.

Who gets halitosis?

Oral malodour is common and can affect people of all ages. Whensevere or longstanding, it may decrease self confidence andsocial interactions.^w2

What is the most likely cause of halitosis?

Oral malodour on awakening is common and generally not regardedas halitosis. Longstanding oral malodour is usually caused byoral, or sometimes nasopharyngeal, disease (box 1). The mostlikely cause of oral malodour is the accumulation of food debrisand dental bacterial plaque on the teeth and tongue, resultingfrom poor oral hygiene and resultant gingival (gingivitis) andperiodontal (gingivitis/periodontitis) inflammation. Althoughmost types of gingivitis and periodontitis can give rise tomalodour, acute necrotising ulcerative gingivitis (Vincent'sdisease, . . . [Full text of this article]

What other causes of halitosis exist?

What is the oral source of halitosis?

How is halitosis diagnosed and assessed?

What is the treatment of halitosis?

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