Oral Malodour

Oral malodour (bad breath) can be an embarrassing and socially unacceptable problem for your patients.

In the majority of cases the cause of malodour is largely the result of Volatile Sulphur Compounds (VSCs) produced by bacterial activity in the mouth but the presence of oral malodour may also indicate a potentially serious underlying health issue such as a digestive or metabolic disorder.

Visit the IADR/CED Symposium: Addressing Oral Malodour page to see a selection of scientific presentations on aspects of oral malodour.

Click the links below or right to access each section:

• Prevalence of oral malodour

  An overview of incidence of oral malodour.

• Detecting malodour

  A review of techniques for detecting the condition from the simple 'lick test' to the more sensitive 'gas chromatography' evaluation method.

• Source of malodour

  More details of the role of VSCs in oral malodour.

• Dealing with malodour

  Guidance on addressing malodour in your patients with a link to new data presented at the International Association for Dental Research in September 2007.