Diagnosis and treatment of halitosis

Diagnostic and treatment services for patient complaints of "bad breath" are currently being offered in many dental offices. There are no accepted standards of care for these services, and clinical protocols for the diagnosis and treatment of breath malodor vary widely. This article attempts to review the biological and psychological bases of patients' complaints of bad breath and to describe a clinical protocol for the evaluation and treatment of such complaints. This protocol resulted in a 99% success rate in eliminating objectively measured breath malodor. However, 24% of patients continued to believe that at least some of their bad breath persisted after treatment. The merits of various diagnostic procedures are discussed in light of the psychogenic component of the symptomatology of halitosis sufferers.