Oral malodor
Self-diagnosis
Oral malodor can be self-diagnosed by the patient using a simple test, licking the wrist and then sniffing the area once the saliva has dried. However, this may only indicate any problems with the front of the tongue. [Rosenberg, 1996] Maintaining a good oral hygiene regimen can help to minimize oral malodor.
Organoleptic test
A frequently used assessment method for oral malodor, is the organoleptic evaluation by trained, calibrated malodor judges. The hedonic and intensity scales have been used to assess organoleptic oral malodor in clinical studies. The intensity scale measures the strength of the odor on a scale of 0 (no odor) to 5 (extremely foul odor). The hedonic scale is a measure of pleasantness on a nine-point scale from most pleasant to most unpleasant. There are many different ways of performing this organoleptic test, including where the air is sampled from (e.g. whole mouth, tongue, saliva) and what sample is analyzed (e.g. tongue scraping, used dental floss, saliva sample). Different investigators may also obtain variable results. [ADA, 2003]
Gas chromatography
Gas chromatography has been used by a number of researchers to quantify VSCs in breath [Tonzetich, 1977, Richter, 1996, Young, 2002] and is a sensitive and specific analytical technique. This technique can directly measure and quantify the individual VSC (e.g. hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan) present in the mouth at very low concentrations. This technique is not influenced by other odors such as those from flavored products. Gas chromatography measurement requires specific training and is not easily portable. [ADA, 2003]
Portable sulfide monitors
Portable sulfide monitors are also available, which enable the measurement of VSCs in air obtained from the mouth with a suction pump. However, such monitors cannot differentiate between individual VSCs and are not as sensitive as gas chromatography. [ADA, 2003]
