Halitosis: assessment and treatment (part 2)

IntroductionAssessmentRed flagsOlder patientsManagementConclusionReferences   Introduction Halitosis (oral malodour, bad breath, fetor oris) is defined as offensive breath odour, with the potential to cause personal discomfort and social embarrassment. 1 The condition is common to all age groups, with an estimated global prevalence of between 15% and 50% in adult populations.2-5 Halitosis has a range of local oral and systemic causes – and can indicate an underlying disease. However, most sources of malodour are intra-oral (85%), including poor dental hygiene. Further reading: Halitosis: identifying the cause (part 1) Assessment History A full history should be elicited, including duration and severity of halitosis (plus