Dr Kejariwal raises an interesting point concerning gastro-
oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) as a potential cause of oral malodour.
He is correct that this is a very unlikely cause of this symptom, hence
why we only mention this within a table of possible causes of oral
malodour. As detailed in our review, oral malodour predominantly arises
from the mouth, usually as a consequence of oral disease, and hence
investigation should be focused upon the oral cavity. We did not suggest
that detailed systemic investigation was warranted, and indeed without
sufficient clinical evidence we would not consider investigation of the
gastro-intestinal tract to be justifiable in a patient with oral malodour.
SR Porter
C Scully
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests:
No competing interests
03 October 2006
Stephen R Porter
Professor of Oral Medicine
Crispian Scully
UCL Eastman Dental Institute, 256 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8LD
Rapid Response:
Re: GORD and Halitosis
Authors’ response
Dr Kejariwal raises an interesting point concerning gastro-
oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) as a potential cause of oral malodour.
He is correct that this is a very unlikely cause of this symptom, hence
why we only mention this within a table of possible causes of oral
malodour. As detailed in our review, oral malodour predominantly arises
from the mouth, usually as a consequence of oral disease, and hence
investigation should be focused upon the oral cavity. We did not suggest
that detailed systemic investigation was warranted, and indeed without
sufficient clinical evidence we would not consider investigation of the
gastro-intestinal tract to be justifiable in a patient with oral malodour.
SR Porter
C Scully
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests