Halitosis amongst students in tertiary institutions in Lagos state

Abstract

Background: Halitosis is defined as a noticeable unpleasant odor from the mouth. It is a medico-social problem that affects a significant number of people around the world. Research reveals that nearly 50% of the adult population has halitosis. Objectives: To determine level of awareness of halitosis and prevalence of the condition amongst students in tertiary institutions as a baseline survey. Methods: For this project, 100 students from three tertiary institutions in Lagos state were chosen: University of Lagos, Lagos State University, Ojo campus and Yaba College of Technology. A semi-structured questionnaire and practical testing/ diagnostic tool were utilized. Data collected was collated and analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2007 and SPSS statistical software. Results: Most of the respondents were single and Christian. Level of awareness of halitosis was high. Results showed that 15%, 2% and 22% from UNILAG, LASU and YCT respectively said they had halitosis. Using the diagnostic tool, 6%, 8% and 2% respectively were positive for halitosis. Conclusions: There is high level of awareness of halitosis among the respondents. The prevalence of the disorder is low, however, it is recommended that enlightenment campaigns be mounted in schools to improve level of awareness and treatment seeking.

Assessment of the Knowledge of Dental Surgeon about Halitosis from Two Dental Teaching Hospitals in Khartoum City

“…The term halitosis is derived from the Latin word "halitus" meaning breath and the Greek suffix "osis" meaning condition. Halitosis is defined as a noticeable unpleasant odor that emanates from the mouth which is objectionable to others [1]. Halitosis is estimated to be the third most frequent reason for seeking dental aid, after dental caries and periodontal disease.…”

“…90% of bad breath originate in the oral cavity [11][12][13][14], are due to poor oral hygiene, gingivitis, periodontitis, tongue coating, faulty restoration and other oral factors. Research showed that the primary cause of halitosis is the presence of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) in the mouth [1,15] or in exhaled air. VSCs, a product of degradation of proteins by oral microorganisms [1], include hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and methylmercaptan [3,[16][17][18], dimethyl sulfide ((CH3)2S), dimethyl disulfide [4,8,16] and sulfur dioxide (SO2) [4].…”

“…Research showed that the primary cause of halitosis is the presence of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) in the mouth [1,15] or in exhaled air. VSCs, a product of degradation of proteins by oral microorganisms [1], include hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and methylmercaptan [3,[16][17][18], dimethyl sulfide ((CH3)2S), dimethyl disulfide [4,8,16] and sulfur dioxide (SO2) [4]. These gases have variable odour intensity, methyl mercaptan being the most offensive [4,10,19,20].…”

“…Successful treatment of halitosis depends on the accurate diagnosis of the type of halitosis. Treatment is classified into five approaches called treatment needs (TN), thus enabling precise sequential treatment procedure [1].…”

“…Patients with pathological extra-oral halitosis are given TN-1 and referred to the physician for TN-3 for management of the systemic causes of halitosis. TN-4 and TN-5 are special management lines for psychological halitosis [1,9].…”