Many years ago, a darling sibling group was placed in our home by the Department of Human Services. The sisters were seven and 13 when they arrived. Honestly, they couldn’t have been any cuter. The seven-year-old child had always been treated much younger than her chronological age by her birth family because of her special needs. Therefore, she still enjoyed snuggling, hugging, and kisses, which was nice. She also always wanted to take drinks out of my cup even though the only thing in it was green tea or water. I have gotten used to this over the years since nearly every toddler we have ever watched has wanted to do it. Unfortunately, this seven-year-old child had bad breath. You may have experienced the kind of bad breath I am referring to if you have ever met a person whose breath you can smell from two feet away. Only she didn’t want to stay two feet away, she wanted to snuggle. When she drank out of my cup, I would usually just let her have it and get a new one. We felt bad for her because she was such a darling child. I helped her brush, floss her teeth twice a day, and even provided her with flavored mouthwash. We tried a variety of toothpaste brands, nothing helped. We took her to the dentist twice a year for cleanings and begged for advice. We kept a constant supply of gum and other breath freshening candies on hand for her. Fortunately, her older sister did not share this problem.

That was many years ago, as I said, and she is now an adult. However, real help may be available soon for those unfortunate individuals who suffer from persistent bad breath. A recent study conducted at the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine has identified h Solobacterium moorei as the organism largely responsible for chronic bad breath also known as halitosis. The study included 21 people with chronic bad breath and 36 control subjects. Each of the 21 subjects was infected with h Solobacterium moorei and also had periodontitis. Only four of the control subjects, those without chronic bad breath, were infected with this bacterium. A previous study had similar results.

Persistent bad breath can be caused by the breakdown of bacteria in the mouth. Bad smelling sulfur compounds are produced by the breakdown and then reside on the surface of the tongue. Tongue bacteria accounts for the majority of bad breath cases although some cases of bad breath originate in the lungs or sinuses. While not much is known about h Solobacterium moorei yet, its identification will lead to research. Hopefully, researchers will soon find a way to reduce this bacteria and the embarrassing problem that it causes. In the meantime, researchers suggest brushing twice a day with antibacterial toothpaste and using a tongue scraper.


Photo Credit Julia Fuller 2008