To prevent halitosis (bad breath), attention must be paid to reducing individual risk factors.
Behavioral risk factors
- Diet
- Pleasure food consumption
- Alcohol (here: alcohol abuse/alcohol dependence).
- Coffee
- Tobacco (smoking* * )
- Poor oral hygiene (poor dental hygiene)* .
- Tongue coating
Medication (the following medications can inhibit saliva production, leading to bad breath).
- Antiadiposita, anorectics – appetite suppressants.
- Antiarrhythmics – for cardiac arrhythmias.
- Antidepressants – for depression
- Antiepileptic drugs – for epilepsy.
- Antihistamines – histamine effects.
- Antihypertensives – lowering blood pressure
- Antiparkinsonian drugs – for Parkinson’s disease.
- Antipsychotics (neuroleptics) – for psychosis.
- Anxiolytics, ataractics – anxiety-relieving.
- Diuretics – diuretic
- Hypnotics – sleeping pills
- Muscle relaxants – muscle antispasmodics
- Sedatives – tranquilizers
- Spasmolytics – antispasmodic
Preventive measures
* Good oral hygiene is an optimal condition to prevent bad breath or eliminate existing bad breath. In this regard, special emphasis should be placed on daily tongue cleaning. Furthermore, the interdental spaces, where food residues often accumulate – from which the bacteria produce the unpleasant sulfur compounds – should be removed by means of dental floss or interdental brushes.
Dentures – whether partial or complete – must be cleaned thoroughly every day. The mucous membrane in the mouth is constantly renewed and normally the old flakes can be removed without difficulty. In denture wearers, the old skin flakes accumulate on the denture, which in time – if the denture is not cleaned daily – results in a very unpleasant mouth odor.* * Smokers who suffer from the above-mentioned “smoker’s breath” can find relief with the help of smoking cessation.