Halitosis - Science To The Rescue

Halitosis, also known as plain old bad breath, is a term that no one probably wants applied to oneself. The term is derived from the Latin halitus, which translates as breath. The suffix osis is a standard Greek suffix that stands for condition. Many individuals suffer from bad breath and don’t even know the cause [...]

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Halitosis, also known as plain old bad breath, is a term that no one probably wants applied to oneself. The term is derived from the Latin halitus, which translates as breath. The suffix osis is a standard Greek suffix that stands for condition. Many individuals suffer from bad breath and don’t even know the cause of it, or even that they suffer from it. Sometimes it takes an embarrassing social episode to come to terms about having bad breath. Wouldn’t it be better to find out if you have bad breath on your own? Believe it or not, medical researchers have thought of this and designed several instruments that can actually test for halitosis. That’s right—there are actually machines out there that can test for bad breath!

Hunting for Halitosis – Pinpointing the Underlying Causes of the Problem

Researchers have done a substantial amount of research regarding the causes of bad breath. Doctors appear to have a good idea of what causes the problem. However, there are so many different causes to halitosis that it can be difficult to pinpoint it down to one. That is why medical researchers have designed special instruments that can measure just the extent of certain chemicals in your breath. If you are having trouble diagnosing the cause of your chronic halitosis, your doctor will probably order one of these tests for you.

Why Use these Instruments to Test For Bad Breath in the First Place?

Can’t we just use our nose to sniff out a bad breath problem? Why go to all the trouble of designing actual instruments that can detect bad breath? The problem is that our sense of smell simply cannot handle so many variables when we take a good sniff at something. Have you ever tried to smell your own breath? It is definitely not as easy as you would expect, correct? Even if you have someone else smell your breath, you will still probably not manage to get any kind of objective response on a consistent basis.  That is, everyone you ask may give you a totally different opinion. This is because each of us has a specific olfactory scent. We may not all be able to smell the same things at the same time. Research studies have shown that random and informal olfactory tests can be wildly inconsistent. That’s because there are so many factors involved. These can range from  head positioning, hunger, and even a woman’s menstrual cycle. These factors can alter the way that a person’s breath is perceived by the person who is sniffing. 

Instruments That Are Used to Test Your Breath

There are many different kinds of scientific instruments that have been designed for the purpose of testing a person’s breath. These instruments can test for the level of halitosis present in a person’s mouth at any given time. The most common breath testing instruments are known as the gas chromatographs, chemilumiescence detectors and sulfide meters (more commonly referred to as halimeters). If you are having trouble detecting your own breath, you will definitely want to consult a medical professional. Your medical doctor can order you to be tested with one of these instruments.
 

Written by World's Best on November 13th, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on dental / mouth care.

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