The complaint of oral malodor: possible psychopathological aspects.
Oral malodor (halitosis) is a common concern in Western society. As with other human perceptions, emotional as well as cognitive variables play a major role in one's sensation and complaint. To study factors potentially associated with the complaint of oral malodor, periodontal and psychological evaluations were carried out on 38 subjects (66% female, mean age 43 years) with a complaint of oral malodor. Subjects underwent evaluation of their periodontal status, odor evaluation by an odor judge, and psychopathological symptom survey by means of the SCL-90 questionnaire. The patient's self-rating of oral odor was significantly higher than the evaluation of an objective odor judge and was not associated with their periodontal status. The SCL-90 profile of subjects was relatively higher than that of an age- and gender-matched reference group of dental patients. The results suggest that the complaint of oral malodor may be related to psychopathological symptoms as recorded by the SCL-90 questionnaire.
Eli
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I
Section of Behavioral Sciences, The Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
Baht
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R
Kozlovsky
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A
Rosenberg
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M
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006209:Halitosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009911:Oral Hygiene Index; D010512:Periodontal Index; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires