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[Halitosis, foetor ex ore]
G Delanghe1, C Bollen, D van Steenberghe
1Dienst Neus-, Keel-, Oorziekten, Gelaat- en Halschirurgie, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, België.
Objective:
To review the results of a multidisciplinary approach on halitosis.
Design:
Descriptive.
Setting:
University Hospital Leuven, Belgium.
Methods:
Review of the data on etiology, diagnosis and therapy of halitosis, obtained by a multidisciplinary team consisting of ENT specialists, periodontologists and a psychiatrist. Malodour was confirmed by a halimeter.
Results:
491 patients, equally males and females, with a concentration between 20-50 years of age were seen. Oral causes (87%) were due to tongue coating (51%), gingivitis (17%), periodontitis (15%) or combinations 17%). The other 13% causes were due to ENT-related problems (4%), both ENT and oral (3%), digestive tract (1%) and presumed psychic (5%).
Conclusion:
Halitosis is a rather unknown medical problem that often can be solved by a multidisciplinary approach.