Self-reported halitosis and associated demographic and behavioral factors

Abstract

Self-reported halitosis and associated demographic and behavioral factorsAbstract: Halitosis is still poorly studied in young adults. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of self-reported halitosis and associate it with demographic and behavioral factors in young adult dental students. This cross-sectional study was designed as a census of students enrolled in three initial and three final semesters of a dental course in a Brazilian public university. Of 284 eligible students, 257 (90.5%) completed a self-administered questionnaire. Self-reported halitosis was the primary study outcome, and was assessed with the question "do you feel you have bad breath?". Data on age, gender, frequency of tooth brushing and interproximal cleaning, tongue cleaning, mouth rinse use and dry mouth were collected using the questionnaire, and were considered independent variables. Of the students surveyed, 26.5% reported as never, 51.7% as rarely, 21.4% as sometimes, and 0.4% as always feeling they had halitosis. Morning halitosis was reported by 90.6% of those who reported halitosis. In the final multiple model, last semester students had a 55% lower chance of reporting halitosis, compared with students from the first semesters [odds ratio (OR) 0.46; 95%CI 0.24-0.89]. Women had a 2.57fold higher chance of reporting halitosis (OR = 2.57; 95%CI 1.12-5.93). Dry mouth increased the chance of self-reported halitosis 3.95-fold, compared with absence of dry mouth (OR = 3.95; 95%CI 2.03-7.68). It can be concluded that self-reports of halitosis were low among dental students, but may represent an important complaint. Gender, dry mouth and level of college education of the dentist were factors significantly associated with self-reported halitosis.

Self‐reported halitosis in a sample of Brazilians: Prevalence, associated risk predictors and accuracy estimates with clinical diagnosis

“…Some studies evaluated specific population groups and also demonstrated diverse prevalence estimates from around 7%–50% (Al‐Ansari et al, ; Ashwath, Vijayalakshmi, & Malini, ; Bin Mubayrik et al, ; Bornstein, Kislig, et al, ; Bornstein, Stocker, et al, ; Kayombo & Mumghamba, ; Lopes et al, ; Milanesi et al, ). It is important to emphasize that studies have used different self‐reported measures and this may have influenced these prevalence rates.…”

“…Predictors associated with self‐reported halitosis also varied among studies, but included some demographic data such as age, gender, educational level and family income (AlSadhan, ; Milanesi et al, ; Youngnak‐Piboonratanakit & Vachirarojpisan, ). In the present study, educational level and family income were retained in the final model (model 1) for the self‐reported measure 1 and age and gender were retained in the final model (model 3) for the self‐reported measure 3.…”

“…Moreover, one limitation of self‐reported halitosis is the possible overestimation of the prevalence rates by pseudo‐halitosis cases. Pseudo‐halitosis is characterized by the absence of clinical determination of halitosis, but there is a clear complaint about it by the individual (Milanesi et al, ; Yaegaki & Coil, ). Nevertheless, it should be emphasized that the meta‐regression analysis from Silva et al () demonstrated that the method used for halitosis assessment seemed not to influence the heterogeneity between prevalence studies.…”

“…Self‐estimated halitosis was determined to correspond well with clinical evaluation of oral malodour (Pham, ), although some studies demonstrated that self‐reported assessments might be rather inaccurate (Bornstein, Kislig, Hoti, Seemann, & Lussi, ; Bornstein, Stocker, Seemann, Bürgin, & Lussi, ). Some studies evaluated halitosis through self‐reported measures in different population groups, demonstrating diverse prevalence estimates, and distinctive associated factors (Al‐Ansari et al, ; Bornstein, Kislig, et al, ; Iwanicka‐Grzegorek et al, ; Lopes et al, ; Milanesi, Kauer, Wagner, Daudt, & Haas, ).…”

Photodynamic therapy with Bixa orellana extract and LED for the reduction of halitosis: study protocol for a randomized, microbiological and clinical trial

“…The prevalence of this condition may greatly vary, depending on the population. Studies show that moderate halitosis affects one third of individuals [ 3 ]. Bad breath can have both extraoral and intraoral causes, such as the use of some types of medication, dry mouth, smoking, systemic conditions and inefficient oral hygiene [ 1 , 4 ].…”