Bad breath is a common symptom, about 10% to 65% of people worldwide have suffered from bad breath, and the prevalence of bad breath among adults in China is more than 25%. Bad breath is not only disgusting, but also has a negative impact on work and social interaction, reducing people’s quality of life, bringing a greater mental burden to patients, and even to produce self-psychological disorders, leading to many unnecessary worries. So why do you have bad breath? How to prevent and control it?
Some bad breath is fake bad breath
Some people do not really have bad breath, by testing the breath smell and no bad breath, but patients still feel that they have bad breath, this situation is false halitosis, also known as fantasy halitosis, false halitosis accounts for about 15% of halitosis. There is another condition called halitophobia, which is a condition in which the patient’s real halitosis condition is successfully treated, or in the case of pseudohalitosis diagnosed after receiving counseling, the patient still has the perception of halitosis and always feels that halitosis is frowned upon by others, embarrassed and afraid to communicate normally. These individuals tend to have neurotic, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, mostly seen in hypochondriacal neurosis.
Physiological halitosis is the most common
Physiological halitosis refers to the body without obvious pathology, mainly caused by bad life, hygiene habits or drugs and other environmental factors that change the transient halitosis, which is the most common form of halitosis, accounting for about 90% of true halitosis.
The main causes of physiological halitosis are the following.
1, food odor residue: such as eating onions, garlic, leeks, stinky tofu, durian, etc., often smoking, drinking and food containing sulfide components, odor can remain in the mouth after consumption.
2, dinner eaten too much: dinner eaten too much or into the meat, greasy food proportion is too large or spicy and stimulating seasoning dosage is too large, dinner from sleep time is too short, sleep with too much food still in the stomach and other bad breath.
3, other cases: such as poor oral hygiene, female physiological period, stay up late, insomnia and other factors can also appear bad breath.
Physiological halitosis is generally transient, it can come and go, determined by the temporary local conditions in the mouth. Physiological bad breath can usually be resolved by improving oral care, especially tongue cleaning bad breath will disappear.
Oral diseases are the main cause of bad breath
Of all the types of true bad breath, more than 80% are related to intraoral factors. For example, periodontal disease, caries, oral infections, peri-implantitis, pericoronitis, mucosal ulcers, retained food or debris, and tongue mucus.
Bad breath in these patients is mainly caused by matrix decay in the oral environment, in which microorganisms play an important role. It is currently believed that halitosis is caused by an increase in the proportion of odor-producing anaerobic bacteria and an increase in the release of sulfur-containing protein metabolites from odor-causing bacteria due to a disruption in the balance of oral microecology and dysbiosis in the oral cavity. The composition of halitosis gas was detected by gas chromatography analysis and other techniques, and volatile sulfides were found to be the main substances causing halitosis, while hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan were predominant among the volatile sulfides. Currently, most scholars believe that the pathogenic bacteria that produce these complexes mainly originate from periodontal pockets and the tongue. Therefore, periodontal tissue diseases and the bacterial components hidden in the tongue are the main sources of bad breath in the oral cavity.
Gastrointestinal disorders can cause bad breath
Bad breath caused by gastrointestinal disorders is mainly caused by the reflux of odoriferous volatiles from the gastrointestinal tract through the esophagus to the mouth and nose.
Some studies have shown that the incidence of halitosis is higher in people with H. pylori infection, and the rate of H. pylori infection is significantly higher in patients with halitosis than in non-halitosis patients, which is due to the fact that H. pylori can produce hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan, which are the main components of halitosis gas.
It has been found that anti-H. pylori treatment can alleviate halitosis, suggesting that H. pylori infection may be related to the development of halitosis.
Halitosis is present in 40% of patients with GERD and is more prevalent in erosive GERD than in non-erosive GERD and has more severe halitosis symptoms.
Epidemiological data related to dyspepsia show that 50% of people with dyspepsia have bad breath. The gastrointestinal tract of dyspeptic patients is weak, food is not easily digested and emptied and stays in the stomach for a longer period of time, the food rots under the action of bacteria and releases a volatile odor, the rotten food and its odor is very easy to reflux, the odor is exhaled through the mouth or remains in the mouth, and bad breath is formed.
Long-term constipation, will not be able to discharge the harmful substances produced by the body in time, inhalation of blood will cause bad breath.
Dysbiosis of the intestinal flora is also a cause of bad breath because intestinal bacteria can ferment hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, and dimethyl sulfide through food, and these gases may be reabsorbed from the colon and then appear in the breath.
A variety of diseases can cause bad breath
There are many diseases that can cause bad breath. In addition to the common causes mentioned above, some systemic diseases can also cause bad breath, such as sinusitis, pharyngitis, colds, purulent tonsillitis, thrush, pneumonia, bronchitis, lung abscess, tuberculosis, diabetes, ketoacidosis, lactose intolerance, cirrhosis, liver abscess, uremia, and cancer can cause bad breath.
The use of certain drugs such as dimethyl sulfide, quinine, antihistamines, and phenothiazines can also produce bad breath, which is related to the metabolism of drugs in the body to produce volatile organic compounds with irritating odors.
How to prevent and treat bad breath
1, first to identify the causes of bad breath.
Patients with halitosis should first go to the stomatology department to check whether they have oral diseases, and can ask the physician to do a comprehensive physical examination, focusing on screening for Helicobacter pylori infection and other systemic chronic diseases associated with halitosis. Once the cause of bad breath is identified, actively cooperate with the doctor for treatment.
2, pay attention to the cleanliness of the mouth.
Food residues left in the mouth is one of the important causes of bad breath, so you should develop good oral hygiene habits, brush your teeth in the morning and evening, you should also try to rinse your mouth after meals to remove food residues, so as to avoid the growth of bacteria in the mouth. Choose the correct method of brushing, is to brush all sides of the teeth and crevices, the tongue should be brushed, you can also use dental floss. Brush at least 2 times a day and develop the habit of rinsing your mouth after eating. It is very important to clean the tongue surface, and a tongue scraper can be used to clean the tongue surface. Brushing the tongue can remove bacteria on the tiny finger-like fuzz at the back of the tongue, but pay attention to light and slow, do not be too hasty and bruise the tongue.
3, regular oral examination, regular dental cleaning.
Regular oral examination, oral diseases found in a timely manner, regular dental cleaning can eliminate plaque, soft tartar, tartar, to improve bad breath and prevent periodontal disease are beneficial. Generally, it is appropriate to clean your teeth once every six months or so.
4, adjust the diet, quit smoking and alcohol.
People with bad breath better to eat a light diet, avoid eating heavy, hard-to-digest food often, eat more vegetables and fruits and coarse grains, fresh fruits and unprocessed leafy vegetables, they help digestion and reduce the chance of bad breath. Do not eat last before bedtime, especially not sweets. Quit bad habits, it is best to quit smoking and alcohol.
5, maintain an optimistic mood.
Do not be overly concerned about low self-esteem due to halitosis, low self-esteem will aggravate the condition through a series of neurological and endocrine factors, thus forming a vicious circle, should maintain an optimistic mood, have a regular routine, and take timely scientific and effective treatment.
6, other methods.
In social occasions, chewing gum can temporarily reduce the occurrence of bad breath. Yogurt contains a large number of lactic acid bacteria, which can reduce the incidence of plaque and gingivitis and help to relieve bad breath. Drinking tea can inhibit the growth of interdental bacteria to eliminate bad odor, help digestion and absorption, and better prevent or eliminate bad breath caused by indigestion. Seaweed can inhibit the odor caused by flavonoids, and often oral preserved ume also has a bad breath effect.