Halitosis, or bad breath, is an oral health problem characterized by an unpleasant malodor emanating from the oral cavity. This condition can have different origins and causes a negative burden in social interactions, communication and quality of life, and can in uncommon cases be indicative of underlying non-oral non-communicable diseases. Most cases of halitosis are due to inadequate oral hygiene, periodontitis and tongue coating, yet the remaining proportion of cases are due to ear–nose–throat-associated (10%) or gastrointestinal/endocrine (5%) disorders. For this reason, the diagnosis, treatment and clinical management of halitosis often require a multidisciplinary team approach. This comprehensive review revisits the etiology of halitosis as well as standard and novel treatment that may contribute to higher clinical success.

We aimed to explore the association between volatile sulfurous compounds (VSCs) and periodontal epithelial surface area (PESA) and periodontal inflamed surface area (PISA) on a cohort of periodontitis patients. Consecutive patients were assessed for periodontitis and halitosis. A full-mouth periodontal status assessment tested probing depth (PD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), gingival recession (REC), bleeding on probing (BoP), PISA and PESA. A halitosis assessment was made using a VSC detector device. Periodontal measures were regressed across VSC values using adjusted multivariate linear analysis. From a total of seventy-two patients (37 females/35 males), the PESA of posterior-lower regions was found to be significantly higher in halitosis cases than their non-halitosis counterparts (p = 0.031). Considering all patients, the PESA of the posterior-lower region (B = 1.3, 95% CI: 0.2–2.3, p = 0.026) and age (B = −1.6, 95% CI: −3.1–0.2, p = 0.026) showed significant association with VSCs. In halitosis patients, the PESA of the posterior-lower region (B = 0.1, 95% CI: 0.0–0.1, p = 0.001), PISA Total (B = −0.1, 95% CI: −0.1–0.0, p = 0.008) and the OHIP-14 domain of physical disability (B = −2.1, 95% CI:−4.1–0.1, p = 0.040) were the most significant variables in this model. The PESA from the posterior-lower region may be associated with VSCs when other causes of extra-oral halitosis are excluded. Further intervention studies are needed to confirm this association.

The purpose of this study was to characterize and compare subgingival microbiome before and after periodontal treatment to learn if any changes of the subgingival microbiome were reflected in intra-oral halitosis. We tested the hypothesis that intra-oral halitosis (Volatile sulfur compounds levels) correlates with corresponding subgingival bacterial levels before and after periodontal treatment. Twenty patients with generalized periodontitis completed the study. Subgingival plaque samples were collected at baseline and 6–8 weeks after nonsurgical periodontal therapy. Full-mouth periodontal status assessed probing depth (PD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), gingival recession (REC), bleeding on probing (BoP), PISA and PESA. Halitosis assessment was made using a volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) detector device. Periodontal measures were regressed across VSC values using adjusted multivariate linear analysis. The subgingival microbiome was characterized by sequencing on an Illumina platform. From a sample of 20 patients referred to periodontal treatment, 70% were females (n = 14), with a mean age of 56.6 (±10.3) years; full-mouth records of PD, CAL, BOP (%) allowed to classify the stage and grade of periodontitis, with 45% (n = 9) of the sample having Periodontitis Stage IV grade C and 95% (n = 19) had generalized periodontitis. The correlation of bacterial variation with VSCs measured in the periodontal diagnosis and in the reassessment after treatment were evaluated. Fusobacterium nucleatum, Capnocytophaga gingivalis and Campylobacter showaei showed correlation with the reduction of VSC after periodontal treatment (p-value = 0.044; 0.047 and 0.004, respectively). Capnocytophaga sputigena had a significant reverse correlation between VSCs variation from diagnosis (baseline) and after treatment. Microbial diversity was high in the subgingival plaque on periodontitis and intra-oral halitosis participants of the study. Furthermore, there were correlations between subgingival plaque composition and VSC counting after periodontal treatment. The subgingival microbiome can offer important clues in the investigation of the pathogenesis and treatment of halitosis.

Halitosis is an unpleasant breath odor that interferes with self-confidence and with people’s professional and social lives. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the impact of tongue coating on intra-oral halitosis in patients with periodontitis. The Winkel Tongue Coating Index (WTCI) score was found to be positively and significantly correlated with VSC values (rho = 0.473, p < 0.001). WTCI may be associated with levels of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) when other causes of extra-oral halitosis are excluded.

Halitosis is an unpleasant breath odor that interferes with self-confidence and with people’s professional and social lives. The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate the self-perception and awareness of oral malodor among patients with periodontitis.

One of the main goals of periodontal treatment is the regeneration of lost tissues, in order to improve the prognosis of the involved teeth [ 1–3 Cortellini P , Tonetti M. Focus on intrabony defects: guided tissue regeneration. Periodontology. 2000;22:104–132. Mueller VT , Welch K , Bratu DC , et al. Early and late studies of EMD use in periodontal intrabony defects. J Periodontal Res. 2013;48(1):117–125. Venezia E , Goldstein M , Boyan BD , et al. The use of enamel matrix derivative in the treatment of periodontal defects: a literature review and meta-analysis. Crit Rev Oral Biol Med. 2004;15(6):382–402. ]. Guided tissue regeneration (GTR) involves the use of a barrier with or without the use of bone substitutes [ 4 Nyman S , Lindhe J , Karring T , et al. New attachment following surgical treatment of human periodontal disease. J Clin Periodontol. 1982;9(4):290–296. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] ]. Given the great diversity and constant evolution of materials, it is necessary to maintain a permanent evaluation of their clinical effectiveness. This study intends to evaluate the success and predictability of GTR using a new membrane and bone substitute of equine origin (Heart® and Mix Granules^® – Bioteck SpA, Turin, Italy), in the treatment of infra-bony defects with two or three walls [ 5 Bioteck.com (internet). Arcugnano: Bioteck S.p.A.; 2013. (actualizado 06.11.2013, citado.20/032015). Available from: http://www.bioteck.com/images/PDF/:Datasheets/Inglese/BG_Datasheet_EN.Pdf. [Google Scholar] ]. This study was approved by Egas Moniz Ethics Committee and all patients signed an informed consent form. Patients were selected among those referred to the Department of Periodontology/EMDC, with indication for surgical periodontal treatment, presence of 2–3-wall infra-bony defects, probing depth (PD) ≥ 5 mm, infra-bony component ≥4 mm deep (evaluated radiographically) and attached gingiva ≥2 mm. Exclusion criteria were: cases with PIaque Index (PI) >20%, smokers, extension of the defect to the furcation zone, mobility grade III, endodontic pathology, diabetes or other pathologies that interfere with bone remodelling and metabolism or contraindicate periodontal surgery. All surgeries were performed by the same operator. The clinicians involved in the evaluation of the results had no intervention in surgery. The following clinical and radiographic parameters were evaluated at one, three and six months after surgery: PI, Gingival Index (GI), Probing pocket depth (PPD), Bleeding on Probing (BoP); Gingival recession (GR), height of keratinised gingiva (KG) and radiographic angle of the defect (RAD). In addition, the presence of possible intra-surgical or post-operative complications was also evaluated. The assessment of the defect depth reduction was based on standardised periapical radiographs obtained through the use of an individualised device (parallelizer). A total of six participants (83% females, 17% males), with a mean age of 61.6 (± 8.1) years, were enrolled in the study. The number of defect walls was: 3 walls (50%), 2 walls (33.3%) and 2/3 walls (16.7%). After six months, an average clinical attachment level gain of 3.3 (± 1.4) mm, mean radiographic bone filling of 72 (± 29%) and a BoP reduction of 66.6% were observed. RAD average was 21.3 (± 1.2°) and GR changed from 2.2 to 2.7 mm. Membrane exposure was observed in 33.3% of the cases, however, there were no cases of infection or severe pain. The use of collagen membranes and corticocancellous bone grafts of equine origin seems to be a viable alternative in the regeneration of infra-bony periodontal defects.