Sade Oguntola reports that millions of people suffer from
bad breath. She stated that the persistence of this problem in
some people can affect their relationships due to the discomfort and stigmatisation that it causes.
Giving an instance, she said it was a trying time for Mrs. Bola Awe, a trader whom she said was complaining that her husband’s habit of smoking was causing an odour that she finds hard to cope with. Sade said according to Bola that her husband was not a chain smoker at the beginning of their marriage, but eventually turned one over the years, which does not only make his body to have a bad odour, but also his mouth.*
The case of Mrs. Bola Ogunlaye, a teacher, whom she reported been conscious that there is a problem considering the faces of the people when she talks with them closely and the distance they always try to maintain from her.
She said that bad mouth odour or halitosis is a problem that cuts across ages and socio-economic class, having socio-cultural and medical implication and negative effects on quality of life, and asserts that, friendships, dating, romance, marriage, schooling and employment can be adversely affected in such a way that the individuals sometimes get to be aware of this problem mostly from other persons like friends, family members, doctors or even a complete stranger. It also has some social impact. These include poor academic performance, low self esteem, decreased self confidence, loneliness and even depression.
She said according to Professor Onatolu Odukoya, a pathologist from the University of Lagos, and former Chief Medical Director of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital in a lecture he gave on halitosis during the third national conference of the Forum on Oral HIV/AIDS and Infectious Diseases, said
bad breath was problem from time immemorial, but now coming to the forefront of public and dental professional awareness, especially because of its effects on relationships. He also
maintained that millions of people suffer from bad breath on regular basis and in some of these individuals, the problem is significant enough to cause discomfort and social embarrassment.
“In vast majority of those who suffer from bad breath, between 80 and 90 per cent of the causes originate from the mouth while the remaining originate from other sources like diet, diseases that affect the nostril, throat, liver, kidney and lung.
More cases of bad breath are seen more in women than men. He said the severity of the problem increase with age, as breath of infants or children is mostly described as sweet.
However, causes of bad breath are of two types-odour coming from the mouth and that from outside the mouth itself. Sometimes the foul odour is temporary and arising from a transient reduction of saliva flow in the mouth, resulting in accumulation of micro-organisms in the mouth as the case is during sleep, hunger, fever, dehydration or in early morning breath.
The odour might also be because of consumption of fried foods or highly spiced foods containing onion and garlic; smoking, poor mouth hygiene and poorly maintained dentures. A case of improper alignment of the teeth, conditions that do not allow good saliva flow or diseases of the nose and throat like catarrh can also be the reason for bad breath in some cases.
Prof. Odukoya stated that such conditions that lead to people experiencing dryness of the mouth and subsequently bad breath include diabetes, diarrhoea (frequent passage of watery stool), fevers due to heavy sweating and prolonged talking as well as stress.
He said micro-organisms that reside in the mouth also contribute to bad odour as they feed on leftover food in the mouth or on decaying portions of the gum, adding that the best way to treat the problem is to ensure that the affected individual practises good mouth hygiene and that teeth are properly maintained. Further treatment is also centred on the cause of the problem after tests have been done to ascertain it.
Professor Jonathan Lawoyin, President, Forum on Oral HIV/AIDS and Infectious Diseases, said that bad breath was not having appropriate attention it deserves in Nigeria unlike countries like United States of America. This accounts on his experience of having to run a halitosis clinic at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State, for over 20 years.
Prof. Lawoyin pointed out that people must ensure that they maintain good mouth hygiene. To prevent problems that may affect the mouth and its different parts, he said that people should not wait until they have a toothache or their mouth is swollen before they visit a dentist and ensure they have dental check-up once a year and this can go a long way to abate problems that may arise in the mouth, including foul mouth odour.”
He emphasised that the problem call for more research effort in understanding the it’s causes and the products for it’s treatment through the assistance of producers of mouth rinse, toothpaste and breath fresheners.