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Halitosis - Management
What self-care advice should I offer someone with halitosis?
- Explain that:
- Transient bad breath is common upon waking (morning breath) and resolves with eating or drinking, or upon brushing the teeth or rinsing the mouth with water.
- Persistent halitosis is commonly caused by accumulation of food debris and dental bacterial plaque on the teeth and tongue.
- Give advice on general oral hygiene measures.
- Brush teeth twice daily (particularly last thing at night).
- Clean the interdental spaces using an appropriate aid (floss, tape, sticks, or single-tufted brush).
- Reduce the frequency and amount of sugary food and drinks consumed. These should be limited to mealtimes and consumed not more than four times a day.
- Advise the person to seek advice from a dentist or dental hygienist if they have problems maintaining dental hygiene (for example with brushing or using interdental aids).
- Encourage regular dental checks to ensure maintenance of oral hygiene.
- Recommend or prescribe a trial of an antibacterial mouthwash and/or toothpaste if the above oral hygiene measures are insufficient (see Additional information).
- Improvement will indicate that the halitosis is related to oral hygiene.
- Consider tongue brushing — particularly for people with halitosis who have good oral hygiene and health.
- This can be done by gently brushing the surface of the tongue (in particularly the posterior region) with a soft headed toothbrush while brushing the teeth (with toothpaste). Although a proprietary tongue scraper can be considered, there is insufficient evidence to recommend one product over another.
- Excessive scraping should be avoided as this can cause damage and bleeding to the tongue.
- Care should be taken to avoid triggering the gagging reflex.
- Explain that non-antibacterial products (such as mints, flavoured/perfumed mouth sprays/rinses, and chewing gums) only provide transient masking of halitosis. They are no substitute for good oral hygiene.
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