Diagnosis of oral halitosis
A dentist is often the first contact person to diagnose and treat halitosis. Different diagnostic methods have been developed based on subjective or objective measurement of VSC.
Method
Organoleptic method
(“gold standard”)
Description
Subjective measurement
Based on smelling the exhaled air of mouth and nose separately and comparing the two
Performed by a calibrated person using a score of 0-5 to evaluate halitosis when breathing and speaking (distance nose to mouth: 10 cm)
Portable sulphide monitor,
e.g. Halimeter
Objective measurement
Detects VSC with appropriate monitor; unable to detect individual sulphur compounds
Higher affinity to hydrogen sulphide than dimethyl sulphide
Simple to perform but fails to detect oral malodour caused by non-sulphide components
e.g. OralChroma
Measures molecular levels of the three major VSC in a sample of mouth air (hydrogen sulphide, methyl mercaptan and dimethyl sulphide)
Not suitable for routine clinical practice due to technical complexity
