Oral malodor, also known as bad breath, has multiple potential causes including physiological, intraoral, and extraoral factors. Physiological causes include mouth breathing and certain foods, while intraoral causes often involve periodontal infections and tongue coating harboring microorganisms. Extraoral sources can be nasal/sinus infections, gastrointestinal diseases, or pulmonary issues. Treatment involves reducing substrates and microorganisms mechanically through scaling and brushing, chemically with antimicrobial mouthwashes, and masking malodor with gum or sprays. A thorough examination is needed to determine the etiology and guide proper treatment.
2. INTRODUCTION
•Breath odor can be defined as the subjective perception after smelling someone's
breath. it can be pleasant, unpleasant or even disturbing, if not repulsive.
•Synonyms:
• breath malodor
• halitosis
• bad breath,
• fetor ex ore; stomata dysodynia
4. ETIOPATHOGENESIS
• TWO PATHWAYS OF BAD BREATH :
1. Increase of certain metabolites in blood circulation escaping via lungs while
breathing and it is commonly referred as extraoral halitosis
2. Increase in bacterial load or amount of substrate for these bacteria at the
lining surfaces of oropharyngeal cavity, the respiratory tract or esophagus
14. CONCLUSION
•Breath malodor has important socio-economic consequences.
•A proper diagnosis and determination of the etiology allows the
proper etiological treatment to be instituted quickly.
•Although gingivitis, periodontitis and tongue coating are by far the
most common causes, other more challenging diseases should not
be overlooked.
•This can be dealt with either by a trial therapy to deal quickly with
intra-oral causes or by a multidisciplinary consultation.
