What gives kids bad breath?
SUMMARY: Kids can get bad breath just like adults do, although their odor occasionally smells unique. Is there anything different about pediatric bad breath? How often do children get it?
Posted: July 25, 2011
Kids can get bad breath just like adults do, although their odor occasionally smells unique. Is there anything different about pediatric bad breath? How often do children get it?
These questions appeared in a study published in the journal Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology and Endodontology. Researchers from Turkey's Kirikkale University, armed with their noses and a portable sulfide monitor, set out to determine the answer.
After smelling and electronically measuring the breath of dozens of children, the team concluded that, yes, children do indeed suffer from halitosis. Researchers found that around 30 percent of the participants had oral odor, based on sulfide scores and old-fashioned sniff tests.
This number falls more or less in line with adult-centered studies, most of which say that about 25 percent of people have bad breath at any one time. Individuals of all ages can use specialty breath fresheners, like the M-18 probiotics kit, to gradually reduce their odor levels.
Scientists noted that a child's tongue coating, plaque score and age were all factors behind the presence of halitosis. The team estimated that for every one-year increase in a participant's age, their odds of having bad breath jumped by 45 percent.