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Updated: May 2, 2026

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Instrumental assessment of halitosis for the general dental practitioner
I Laleman1, J Dadamio, S De Geest
1Catholic University Leuven, Department of Periodontology Kapucijnenvoer 33, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Abstract:
At the moment there are no clear protocols for the assessment of bad breath. An organoleptic evaluation is still the reference. To date there are several tools available to detect and quantify specific compounds related to halitosis. This paper reviews the available information on three sulphur monitors (OralChroma™ (CHM-1), Halimeter® and Breathtron®), in order to suggest guidance for the general dental practitioner. All three devices showed an acceptable correlation with organoleptic scores. The Halimeter® and Breathtron® seem the most appropriate devices for a general dental practitioner, because they are easy to handle. Because of its capacity of distinguishing between different sulphur compounds and due to its time-consuming and complicated use, the OralChroma™ (CHM-1) seems more suitable in a research environment.
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