Bad Breath (Halitosis)

Bad Breath (Halitosis)

Did you know:

An estimated sixty-five percent of Americans are estimated to have bad breath.
Over 40 million Americans have "chronic halitosis", bad breath that never quite goes away.
Ninety percent of all halitosis is of oral, not systemic, orgin.
More than a billion dollars a year is spent on over the counter halitosis products that often merely mask bad breath odors.

Bad breath originates in the lungs when certain foods are eateb abd digested. Small odor molecules from onions, garlic and peppers enter the bloodstream with some making their way into the lungs. Halitosis, or Oral Malodor is an offensive odor coming from the mouth, nose or sinuses. It can be split into two categories.

Physiological	Pathological
Morning breath	Mouth
Hunger breath	Nose/Sinuses
Menstrual breath	Tonsils/Pharynx
Food/Drugs	Digestive Organs
No systemic illnesses	Systemic illnesses
Less intense	More intense
Generally responds to oral hygiene	Requires treatment of underlying cause

Drugs That Cause Dryness Of The Mouth Contribute to Halitosis
Central Nervous System Agents	Others
Antiparkinson drugs	Antihistimines/decongestants
Antipsychotics	Anticholinergics
Narcotics	Antihypertensives
Antidepressants

Oral Conditions Causing Halitosis
Periodontitis	Gingivitis
Apthous ulcers (canker sores)	Traumatic ulcers
Dental abscesses	Herpetic infections (viral)
Candidiasis (fungal infection)	Oral cancer
Xerostomia (dry mouth)	Poor oral hygiene

Non-Oral Sources Causing Halitosis
Nose/Sinuses	Pulmonary (lungs)
Tonsils/Pharnyx	Systemic Illnesses
Digestive Organs

Systemic Illnesses
Diabetic Ketoacidosis	Schizophrenia
Liver Failure	Olfactory reference syndrome
Renal Failure

Disease	Odor Characteristics
Diabetes	acetone, fruity
Liver failure	Sweetish, musty
Acute rheumatic fever	Acid, sweet
Lung abscess	Foul, putrefactive
Blood dyscrasias	Resembling decomposed blood
Liver cirrhosis	Resembling decayed blood
Uremia	Ammonia or urine
Toxemia, gastrointestinal disorder, neuropsychiatric	Varies, poor oral hygiene intensifies the odor
Fever, dehydration, macroglobulinemia	Odor due to xerostomia with poor oral hygiene and toxic waste products accumulated
Sjorgen's syndrome	Fetid
Eosinophilic granuloma, Letter-Siwe disease, Hand-Schuller-Chrisitan disease	Fetid breath and unpleasant taste
Scurvy	Foul breath from stomach inflammation
Wegner's granulomatosis	Necrotic, putrefactive
Kidney failure	Ammonia or urine
Diptheria, dysentery, measles, pneumonia, scarlet fever, tuberculosis	Extremely foul, fetid odor
Syphilis	Fetid

Phsiological Halitosis or Oral Malodor is generally caused by volatile sulfur compounds. It responds to treatment with Zytex, a combination of zinc chloride, thymol and eucalyptus oil. It neutralizes the sulfur compounds and kills the bacteria that causes them.

Return