Diurnal changes in oral malodour among dental-office workers.
OBJECTIVE
Dentistry is a major resource for the treatment of halitosis, therefore dental professionals must also pay attention to their own oral malodour for professional courtesy. However, oral malodour among dental professionals has not yet been investigated. In this study, the diurnal changes in oral malodour in dental-office workers were determined, and preventative measures were assessed.


METHODS
Diurnal changes in the levels of volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs), which are the main cause of oral malodour, in mouth air were determined with a gas chromatograph specially designed for such analysis and the effects of several preventive measures were evaluated.


RESULTS
High concentrations of VSCs in mouth air persisted during the morning and decreased after lunch. Tongue-cleaning followed by tooth brushing decreased VSCs dramatically. Further measures such as eating breakfast, drinking tea or using zinc mouthwash significantly decreased VSCs, but the effects were limited in dental hygienists who suffered from persistent oral malodour, especially in the afternoon.


CONCLUSIONS
Eating breakfast, cleaning the tongue followed by brushing the teeth and zinc chloride mouthwash were very effective in preventing oral malodour in dental-office workers; however, the effectiveness of these preventive measures was limited in dental hygienists.
Fukui
Yoko
Y
Yaegaki
Ken
K
Murata
Takatoshi
T
Sato
Tsutomu
T
Tanaka
Tomoko
T
Imai
Toshio
T
Kamoda
Tsuyoshi
T
Herai
Mayumi
M
D000328:Adult; D002712:Chlorides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D003797:Dental Staff; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D006209:Halitosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009067:Mouthwashes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013440:Sulfides / Q000032:analysis; D014059:Tongue; D014099:Toothbrushing; D017967:Zinc Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use
D002712:Chlorides; D009067:Mouthwashes; D013440:Sulfides; D017967:Zinc Compounds; C016837:zinc chloride