While occasional bad breath can strike anyone, true bad breath -- also known as halitosis -- can be an embarrassing condition that is difficult to control. Although there are hundreds of bacteria living in your mouth, research teams from The Forsyth Institute in Boston and the University of Michigan School of Dentistry have identified some key bacteria that actually help get rid of bacteria that cause bad breath, offering hope for potential treatments.
Research
A study published in the April 2003 "Journal of Clinical Microbiology" studied tongue scrapings from test subjects classified as having halitosis and from those who reportedly did not. The researchers found three common bacteria among five study participants who reported having fresh breath, including one bacteria called Streptococcus salivarius. In six test subjects who had halitosis, only one of these subjects tested positive for Streptococcus salivarius, and the bacteria was present in very low levels. The researchers also found six strains of bacteria present in those with bad breath that were not present in those with fresh breath.
Potential Treatment
One of the potential treatments researchers like Dr. Harold Katz, a Los Angeles-based dentist interviewed in "The Chicago Tribune," are pursuing is using Streptococcus salivarius -- also known as BLIS K12 in treatments for bad breath. The bacteria are currently available in tablets, lozenges and chewing gum form. The introduction of this potentially helpful bacteria could help to inhibit bad-breath causing strains.
Expert Insight
In an ABC News interview, Dr. Israel Kleinberg, chairman of the oral biology and pathology department at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, likened the mouth to an environmental climate. Different bacteria in the mouth can determine the survival of other bacteria that contribute to good or bad breath, Dr. Kleinberg said. "It's the environment that ends up selecting the bacteria," Dr. Kleinberg said. "So if you want to do something about it, you want to try to shift that environment."
Current Treatments
According to ABC News, Dr. Bruce Paster, one of the researchers from the "Journal of Clinical Microbiology" bacteria study, recommends keeping bad breath at bay by brushing your teeth and tongue twice daily, scraping your tongue and using toothpastes that contain zinc, until further research has confirmed BLIS K12 dosages as a bacterial bad breath fighter. Engaging in these practices can help reduce the amount of bacteria in your mouth, while creating an inhospitable environment for bacteria.
References
- ABC News; Bad Breath and the Battle of Bacteria; Gary Gately; August 2003
- "Journal of Clinical Microbiology"; Diversity of Bacterial Populations on the Tongue Dorsa of Patients With Halitosis and Healthy Patients; C.E. Kazor, et al.; February 2003
- "Chicago Tribune"; Could Bacteria Be a Cure for Bad Breath?; Jane Haas; February 2011
- Delta Dental of New Mexico: Bacteria to Blame for Bad Breath
