Can you still have a pleasant chat? - Bad breath, the biggest enemy of social interaction, revealed

Author: Chen Hua, Shenzhen University General Hospital

Reviewer: Cao Jun, Professor and Chief Physician, Shenzhen University General Hospital

Bad breath, also known as oral odor, is an unpleasant odor emitted from the mouth. It is not only related to personal hygiene, but also affects people's social interaction and mental health. In daily life, bad breath often becomes an invisible barrier to interpersonal communication, making many people feel embarrassed and uncomfortable in intimate conversations or public places, which may lead to social avoidance and become one of the causes of psychological disorders.

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1. Why does bad breath occur?

Bad breath can be caused by many reasons, including oral and systemic diseases, bad living habits, dietary factors and psychological factors. Bad breath can be divided into true bad breath, false bad breath and halitosis phobia. The latter two types do not actually exist, but are only the subjective feelings of the patient.

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Let’s take a closer look at true halitosis, which is mainly divided into physiological halitosis and pathological halitosis.

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1. Physiological bad breath

When the basal metabolic rate is low, saliva secretion is reduced, and the oral self-cleaning function is limited, food residues and shed cells in the mouth will decay and produce bad gases. For example, the bad breath after getting up in the morning is caused by this reason. Usually, this bad smell lasts for a short time and can disappear quickly after oral cleaning.

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2. Pathological halitosis

Pathological halitosis is halitosis caused by diseases and pathological conditions of the body. The vast majority of halitosis is caused by oral problems, accounting for 80% to 90% of halitosis, mainly caused by anaerobic bacteria. Poor oral hygiene such as gingivitis, periodontitis, and caries are common causes of halitosis; oral malignant tumors will cause obvious and persistent halitosis; when saliva secretion decreases and the ability to remove oral decay decreases, halitosis will also worsen.

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Non-oral halitosis includes halitosis caused by respiratory diseases, systemic diseases, metabolic disorders and drug effects. After eating garlic, leeks, onions and some spicy condiments in daily diet, the smell of these foods will also reach the lungs through blood circulation, thus giving off a bad smell. In addition, bad living habits such as smoking, alcoholism, etc., as well as women's menstrual period, may also cause halitosis.

2. How to determine whether you have bad breath?

In daily life, we can judge by smell. When testing, we need to ensure that the sense of smell is normal. The person being tested should try to avoid using antibiotics 3 weeks before the test, not eat food with special smell 48 hours before the test, and not eat food, drink water, smoke, brush teeth or rinse mouth 12 hours before the test.

3. What are the methods to prevent and treat bad breath?

Generally speaking, non-oral halitosis can be relieved after the primary lesion is under control. Oral halitosis can be prevented and treated through self-oral care and improved oral hygiene.

1. Brush your teeth: Use the Bass brushing method 2 to 3 times a day to remove oral plaque and soft deposits.

2. Rinse your mouth: Choose a mouthwash that can improve oral odor through mechanical cleaning and bactericidal effects.

3. Tongue cleaning: Using a tongue brush to clean the back of the tongue while brushing your teeth can reduce 70% to 80% of substances that cause bad breath.

4. Use dental floss or interdental brush: Simply brushing your teeth is difficult to remove plaque and soft deposits between teeth, so you need to use dental floss or interdental brush to assist in cleaning.

5. Timely treatment of oral diseases: Timely treatment of caries, periodontitis and oral mucosal related diseases can reduce the occurrence of bad breath.

6. Drink more water: Drinking more water helps the secretion of saliva, which can rinse and clean the mouth.

7. Light diet: Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, avoid eating foods that produce odor, and reduce the intake of spicy and stimulating foods.

8. Take probiotics in moderation: As a new method for treating bad breath, probiotics can enhance the resistance of oral tissue to bacterial infection by producing organic acids, hydrogen peroxide and bacteriocins.

In daily life, bad breath can affect social interaction and even lead to inferiority complex. Although bad breath is emitted through the mouth, it is not only caused by oral reasons. If bad breath has seriously affected your quality of life, you can judge it through self-testing and use prevention and treatment methods to alleviate it. If it still does not improve, you need to go to the hospital for appropriate examination and treatment in time to avoid delaying the condition.

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