Halitosis: Breath Behaving Badly

Chapter One - Oral Microflora and Volatile Compounds

Chapter 1: Oral Microflora and Volatile Compounds

Introduction

Anaerobic Microflora and

the Tongue

Diamines

Related to Bad Breath

Another Study About

Oral Malodor and

Periodontitis

Clinical Experiences in

Israel

Chapter 2: Diagnosis of Bad Breath

Chapter 3: Oral Hygiene to Reduce Halitosis

Chapter 4: Other Sources of Bad Breath

Chapter 5: Conclusions

Diamines ix

Researchers Goldberg, Kozlovsky, and Rosenberg designed a study to evaluate the contribution of diamines (especially cadaverine and putrescine) to bad breath. They studied 52 people, most of whom complained of bad breath. The researchers measured:

the VSC with a portable sulfide monitor,
mouth odor via organoleptic means,
plaque index,
gingival index,
probing depths,
BANA test results, and
levels of cadaverine and putrescine in the saliva.

Results of the study included:

Cadaverine scores were associated with odor judge organoleptic scores, plaque index scores, and gingival index scores. Cadaverine levels were also relative to the BANA scores and mean probing depth. Cadaverine levels were not associated with VSC levels.
Putrescine levels were not significantly related to the malodor and periodontal measurements, but were related to cadaverine levels.

In a second experiment, they compared saliva from a patient with periodontal disease to saliva from a patient who had healthy gingiva. The sample from the periodontitis patient had higher cadaverine levels. Putrescine levels in both samples were similar.

In a third experiment, they showed that higher levels of both cadaverine and putrescine were found in deeper pockets than in shallow ones.

The results of this study showed cadaverine levels are associated with malodor and periodontal disease, while putrescine's role is still somewhat unknown.

Continue on to Correlations Between Volatile Sulphur Compounds and Oral Measurements