Abstract:

Objective:The purpose of the study was to investigate the prevalence of oral malodor in a group of health cohorts in Cheng- du, China by using different diagnostic methods.Methods:Volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) level was evaluated by using HalimeterÒ.The organoleptic score and tongue coating index were also evaluated. A questionnaire interview was conducted at the same time.Results:There were 21.61% subjects whose oral VSCs level were more than 300 ppb. No significant difference was found between male and female for the VSCs values. The subjects with malodor (score\6) evaluated by organoleptic score were 28.91%,and the difference between the male and female was significant (P<0.05). Further, a significant correlation could be detected between the VSCs level, organoleptic score and tongue coating index (P<0.05).Conclusion:The study indi- cates that nearly one of fourth people sufferfrom oral malodor. Malodor has significant correlationwith tongue coating, so cleaning of tongue dorsum is very important to reduce oral malodor.

Key words: oral malodor, volatile sulfur compounds, organoleptic assessment, tongue coating