Antibacterial Toothpaste and Tongue Scraping Eliminate Halitosis
April 7, 2008The stigma and embarrassment associated with chronic bad breath, or halitosis, can be sufficient to turn sufferers into near-hermits. One in four adults has halitosis, statistics show, and the percentage may be as high as 50 percent in older adults.
A study conducted by dental researchers at the University at Buffalo has confirmed that brushing twice a day with toothpaste containing a bactericide and using a toothbrush with a tongue cleaner can eliminate halitosis, easing social strain and protecting teeth and gums in the process.
Results of the study were presented last week at the 2008 American Association for Dental Research in Dallas, Texas.
"All 14 subjects enrolled in this clinical study, all of whom had halitosis when they entered, had eliminated their halitosis at the end of the 28-day intervention," said Peter Moses, a dental student in the UB School of Dental Medicine and first author on the study.
"The fear of halitosis, known as halitophobia, sometimes is so great that up to 25 percent of people claiming to have halitosis actually don't," he said. "Halitophobia is associated with obsessive compulsive disorders and even has resulted in suicide, so there is a need for effective treatments for this condition."
The toothpaste used in the study contained triclosan, an antibacterial agent used in acne medications, hand soaps, detergents and deodorants. At the beginning of the study, participants were tested for halitosis and the presence of halitosis-causing oral bacteria using standard methods. The researchers collected tongue scrapings from study participants when they entered the study and at the end of the intervention. The tongue scrapings were analyzed for the presence of 20 bacterial species associated with halitosis.
Participants were instructed to brush twice a day with the triclosan toothpaste and to use a tongue cleaner throughout the trial.
At the end of the 28-day trial, results showed that mouth air levels of odiferous sulfur-containing compounds dropped from an average score of slightly more than 400 parts-per-billion at baseline to an average of 100 parts-per-billion at the end of the study. Analysis of the microbial samples showed significant decreases in numbers of halitosis-causing bacteria after 28 days.
"All participants eliminated their halitosis after using this triclosan-containing toothpaste and a tongue cleaner," said Moses.
Also contributing to the research from UB were Betsey Clark, a dental student; Violet I. Haraszthy, D.D.S., Ph.D., UB associate professor of restorative dentistry; and Joseph J. Zambon, D.D.S., Ph.D., professor of periodontology and oral biology and associate dean for academic affairs in the UB dental school.
Source: University at Buffalo
-
Stomach ulcer bug causes bad breath
Nov 24, 2008 |
4 / 5 (3) |
1
-
Diamond X-rays used to discover tooth decay enzymes
Apr 29, 2011 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
-
Researchers report initial success in promising approach to prevent tooth decay
Oct 23, 2006 |
4.7 / 5 (12) |
0
-
Botulinum toxin may offer temporary drooling relief in children with neurological disorders
Sep 20, 2010 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Expanded hospital opens at Calif. aquarium
May 21, 2010 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
-
Engineers build first sub-10-nm carbon nanotube transistor
Feb 01, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (32) |
30
-
Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes
Jan 31, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
-
The hidden nanoworld of ice crystals: Revealing the dynamic behavior of quasi-liquid layers
Jan 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (4) |
1
-
Stock market network reveals investor clustering
Jan 27, 2012 |
3.9 / 5 (23) |
8
-
Of microchemistry and molecules: Electronic microfluidic device synthesizes biocompatible probes
Jan 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
-
Classical and Quantum Mechanics via Lie algebras
Apr 15, 2011
- More from Physics Forums - Independent Research
More news stories
Starve a virus, feed a cure? Findings show how some cells protect themselves against HIV
A protein that protects some of our immune cells from the most common and virulent form of HIV works by starving the virus of the molecular building blocks that it needs to replicate, according to research published online ...
2 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
|
Injured boomers beware: Know when to see doctor
(AP) -- It happened to nurse Jane Byron years after an in-line skating fall, business owner Haralee Weintraub while doing "men's" push-ups, and avid cyclist Gene Wilberg while lifting a heavy box.
3 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
FDA-approved drug rapidly clears amyloid from the brain, reverses Alzheimer's symptoms in mice
Neuroscientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have made a dramatic breakthrough in their efforts to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease. The researchers' findings, published in the journal Science, show t ...
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Feb 09, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (55) |
21
|
Green tea found to reduce disability in the elderly
(Medical Xpress) -- A lot of research has been done over the past several years looking into the health benefits of green tea. As a result, scientists have found that regular consumption of the beverage leads ...
Teen school drop-outs three times as likely to be on benefits in later life
Teen school drop-outs are almost three times as likely to be on benefits in later life as their peers who complete their schooling, indicates research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Feb 06, 2012 |
not rated yet |
13
Scientists discover molecular secrets of 2,000-year-old Chinese herbal remedy
For roughly two thousand years, Chinese herbalists have treated Malaria using a root extract, commonly known as Chang Shan, from a type of hydrangea that grows in Tibet and Nepal. More recent studies suggest that halofuginone, ...
New method to examine batteries -- MRI from the inside
There is an ever-increasing need for advanced batteries for portable electronics, such as phones, cameras, and music players, but also to power electric vehicles and to facilitate the distribution and storage of energy derived ...
Lab study raises questions over nano-particle impact
Tests involving chickens have raised questions about the impact on health from engineered nano-particles, the ultra-fine grains commonly used in drugs and processed foods, scientists said on Sunday.
Google might launch Drive for cloud storage soon
(PhysOrg.com) -- Google's next big move, according to the Wall Street Journal, is a cloud storage service called Drive. Hardly first to the plate, Google is simply catching up to introducing its cloud reposi ...
A mitosis mystery solved: How chromosomes align perfectly in a dividing cell
Although the process of mitotic cell division has been studied intensely for more than 50 years, Whitehead Institute researchers have only now solved the mystery of how cells correctly align their chromosomes during symmetric ...
Researchers find extensive RNA editing in human transcriptome
In a new study published online in Nature Biotechnology, researchers from BGI, the world's largest genomics organization, reported the evidence of extensive RNA editing in a human cell line by analysis of RNA-seq data, demons ...
Apr 07, 2008
Rank: not rated yet
Apr 07, 2008
Rank: not rated yet
How does someone get in touch with these researchers?
Apr 07, 2008
Rank: not rated yet
Apr 07, 2008
Rank: 4 / 5 (1)
No its more like 4.7 ppb for hydrogen sulfide
Apr 08, 2008
Rank: not rated yet
So I wonder if Mr. Moses is overstating when reporting that "all participants eliminated their halitosis..." if there is still a 20x higher-than-undetectable level of these compounds in the mouth?
Apr 08, 2008
Rank: 5 / 5 (2)
http://www.buffal...ews/9290
Here also:
http://www.buffal...act.html
Dental Medicine, School of Lois Baker ljbaker@buffalo.edu 716-645-5000 ext. 1417
Apr 09, 2008
Rank: not rated yet
Jul 10, 2009
Rank: not rated yet
Who funded this study I wonder? Seems like probably a toothpaste company (that maybe also makes toothbrushes).
For more halitosis related research, check out some of our published papers at http://www.therabreath.com