HALITOSIS
Halitosis otherwise known as "bad breath" may be described as an unpleasant odour coming from the breath that is exhaled through the mouth or nose.
Bad breath is a social taboo and as a result sometimes psychological or social problems can develop for example social anxiety, depression, reluctance to speak and being withdrawn.
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Bad Breath
Most of the time the unpleasant odor may be caused by conditions inside the mouth example:
Odors released by bacteria present below the gum line and on the back of the tongue.
Tooth decay
Gum disease
Sores inside the mouth
About 10% of the time halitosis may be caused by conditions outside of the mouth for example.
Disorders in the nasal cavity
Sinuses
Throat
Lungs
Esophagus
Stomach
Other times halitosis may be a symptom of a serious underlying medical condition for example:
Liver failure
Kidney disease or failure
Diabetes
Lung infection
Halitosis can be categorized by the character of the odour into three groups.
1. Sulfurous or fecal
Commonly caused by volatile sulfur compounds most notably methyl mercapton,hydrogen sulfide,and dimethyl sulfide.
2. Fruity or Sweet
Caused by acetone present in diabetes
3. Urine like or Ammoniacal
Caused by ammonia,dimethyl amine and trimethyl amine that is present in Trimethyl aminuria and uremia.
Causes of intra oral halitosis/malodour
Open cavities inside the mouth that causes food impaction and stagnation(food debris lodged inside the cavity for days,weeks or even longer)
Recent dental extraction sockets filled with blood clot which provide a habitat for bacterial growth.
Interdental food packing or food getting pushed between the teeth and debris being trapped resulting in bacterial growth and release of toxins by bacteria.
Poor cleaning of acrylic dentures, failure to remove the dentures at nights and causing the growth of yeast and bacterial retention occupied by a typical smell.
Oal infections
Oral ulcerations or sores
Fasting
Stress/Anxiety
Menstrual cycle causing an increase in volatile sulfur compounds
Alcohol consumption
Eating volatile food items for example onion, garlic,duriam, cabbage, cauliflower, radddish which leave malodourous residues int the mouth subjected to bacteria and volatile sulfur compounds being released.
Medication which causes xerostomia dry mouth) causing increased microbial growth in the mouth.
Gingivitis
Periodontitis
Oral cancers
In The Nose
Air exiting the nostrils has a pungent odor that is different from the odor of the mouth. Commonly caused by sinus infections or foreign bodies lodged in the nose.
In The Tonsils
Putrefaction from the tonsils is considered a minor cause of bad breath. Small bits of calcified matter in the tonsillarcrypts called tonsilloliths (tonsil stones) that smell extremely foul when released causing halitosis.