Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 May;29(4):1432-1438.
doi: 10.1111/odi.14172. Epub 2022 Mar 5.

Aetiology and associations of halitosis: A systematic review

Maaz Anwer Memon  1 , Hifza Anwer Memon  2 , Faizan E Muhammad  3 , Shehzad Fahad  1 , Amna Siddiqui  4 , Ka Yiu Lee  5 , Muhammad Junaid Tahir  6 , Zohaib Yousaf  7
Affiliations

Aetiology and associations of halitosis: A systematic review

Maaz Anwer Memon et al. Oral Dis. 2023 May.

Abstract

Halitosis is a term that refers to an unpleasant or foul odour originating from the oral cavity that can be caused by either intra-oral or extra-oral factors. Despite the fact that halitosis has multifactorial aetiology, intra-oral factors play a significant role in the majority of cases. This systematic review assesses halitosis's intra-oral and extra-oral associations. An electronic search through MEDLINE (PubMed), Google Scholar and the Wiley Online Library was conducted to identify relevant manuscripts. A keywords-based search was performed, using the terms 'halitosis', 'bad-breath', and 'oral malodour causes and aetiology'. Articles published from January 2014 to December 2020 were included. We selected studies evaluating the intra-oral and extra-oral factors that induce oral malodour, as well as the factors associated with systemic diseases. Eighty to ninety percent of halitosis is caused by intra-oral factors, with coated tongue, periodontal diseases and poor oral hygiene practices being the principal factors. Ten to twenty percent of halitosis is induced by extra-oral factors associated with systemic diseases. Multiple factors can cause halitosis, but most of the aetiology is intra-oral. Increased medical awareness is needed to determine the actual pathophysiological process of oral malodour in otherwise healthy individuals.

Keywords: breath; dental care; halitosis; malodour; oral cavity; respiration.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Armstrong, B. L., Sensat, M. L., & Stoltenberg, J. L. (2010). Halitosis: A review of current literature. Journal of Dental Hygeine, 84(2), 65-74.
    1. Avincsal, M. O., Altundag, A., Dinc, M. E., Cayonu, M., Topak, M., & Kulekci, M. (2016). Evaluation of halitosis using OralChroma™ in patients with allergic rhinitis. European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Diseases, 133(4), 243-246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anorl.2015.08.042
    1. Barbe, A. G., Deutscher, D. H. C., Derman, S. H. M., Hellmich, M., & Noack, M. J. (2017). Subjective and objective halitosis among patients with Parkinson's disease. The International Journal of Dental Geriatrics, 34(4), 460-468. https://doi.org/10.1111/ger.12293
    1. Bollen, C. M., & Beikler, T. (2012). Halitosis: The multidisciplinary approach. International Journal of Oral Sciences, 4(2), 55-63. https://doi.org/10.1038/ijos.2012.39
    1. Bornstein, M. M., Kislig, K., Hoti, B. B., Seemann, R., & Lussi, A. (2009). Prevalence of halitosis in the population of the city of Bern, Switzerland: A study comparing self-reported and clinical data. European Journal of Oral Sciences, 117(3), 261-267. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0722.2009.00630.x

Publication types