Causes and Prevention of Halitosis in Men

A Study of Halitosis in Men

Halitosis can generally be divided into two main categories: simple and secondary.

Common causes of simple halitosis include:

Habitual: Poor oral hygiene, habitual constipation, and failure to promptly remove food residue from between teeth can all cause halitosis. Insufficient water intake can also lead to halitosis.

Food-related: Generally speaking, the severity of halitosis varies with the type of food consumed, is directly proportional to the amount of food eaten, and inversely proportional to the time elapsed since the last meal. Firstly, foods containing garlic and onions, such as garlic cloves, garlic sprouts, leeks, scallions, and onions, are common causes. Secondly, foods with a strong odor, such as fermented bean curd, are also considered. Salted fish, salted crab, shrimp paste, and crab paste are also considered "salted goods," leaving a salty and fishy odor after consumption. The stench of alcohol after excessive drinking is also unpleasant and nauseating, but drunkards often talk incoherently, further disgusting others.

Airborne: The most typical cause is smoking. Smokers often have a strong, pungent odor from their breath.

Aging-related: Commonly known as "old man's smell," halitosis is often caused by a variety of reasons. Common causes of secondary halitosis include:

Diseases of the oral cavity and adjacent organs. Untreated cavities, alveolar pyorrhea, dental caries, periodontitis and tartar, chronic sinusitis, chronic atrophic rhinitis, sialadenitis, purulent maxillary sinusitis, etc.

Gastrointestinal diseases. For example, patients with chronic gastritis and duodenal ulcers often have a sour odor; patients with pyloric obstruction and advanced gastric cancer often have a rotten egg-like odor; patients with severe constipation and intestinal obstruction often have a fecal odor.

◎ Respiratory system diseases. For example, patients with lung abscess often have a putrid, acidic odor; patients with hemoptysis due to pulmonary tuberculosis or bronchiectasis often have a bloody odor; and patients with advanced lung cancer often have a putrid, fishy odor in their mouth and exhalation.

◎ Others. For example, diabetic patients may have a rotten apple or ketone smell in their breath; uremia patients may have an ammonia-like odor; and patients with hepatic encephalopathy may have a liver-like odor.

Halitosis has many causes, but prevention and treatment are not difficult.

Those with halitosis should identify the root cause and treat it promptly. Some causes can be managed at home, and satisfactory results can be achieved after treatment. Others require eradicating the primary disease to eliminate halitosis.

Prevention and treatment measures for simple halitosis:

Rinse your mouth after meals, brush your teeth before bed, pay attention to cleaning dentures, and develop good oral hygiene habits.

Avoid overeating (especially dinner), avoid snacking before bed, eat a light diet, and reduce the intake of spicy and other irritating foods. Reduce alcohol consumption and quit smoking.

Middle-aged and elderly people can chew green olives or preserved plums to promote saliva secretion, eat fruit regularly, and drink tea made with small-leaf ophiopogon japonicus and licorice.

Drinking a cup of warm salt water on an empty stomach every morning can regulate gastrointestinal function and help eliminate halitosis.

Red dates and black dates can eliminate temporary bad breath caused by onions, garlic, etc. Chewing 1-2 dates after meals is sufficient. Additionally, drinking strong tea can relieve garlic breath.

Sucking on vitamin C tablets, chewing gum, using herbal toothpaste, and chewing tea leaves can also have some effect on eliminating bad breath.

Secondary halitosis often originates from internal sources. In this case, the above measures alone are often ineffective. Therefore, it is necessary to treat the primary disease. Once the primary disease is cured, the halitosis will often disappear. It is worth mentioning that many infectious diseases that easily cause halitosis (such as alveolar pyorrhea, dental caries, maxillary sinusitis, lung abscess, etc.) are related to the combined infection of anaerobic and pyogenic bacteria. At the same time, Helicobacter pylori infection is also closely related to many digestive system diseases that easily cause halitosis (such as chronic gastritis, duodenal ulcers, indigestion, stomach cancer, etc.). Therefore, timely treatment of these bacterial infections is of great significance in eliminating both the primary disease and halitosis.