A few months back I wrote an article about bad breath.  In the article I mentioned that good oral hygiene played a major role in its prevention.  Bad breath is a common problem for many people, given the wide variety of substances traveling through our mouths daily. Some people avoid offensive foods and drinks, chew gum, use mouth rinses, or eat mints to mask unpleasant odor. Others cannot escape bad breath quite so easily. At least 40 million Americans suffer from halitosis. Unfortunately, there is no standard treatment for it.

According to a study in the September/October issue of General Dentistry halitosis is a term used to describe any disagreeable odor of expired air.  Bad breath is a generally accepted term for foul smells emanating from the mouth.  Oral malodor is a term reserved for unpleasant smells originating from the oral cavity.  Other than the several reasons I mentioned in the previous article, a common reason for bad breath is post-nasal drip.  It coats the back area of the tongue with bacteria-rich mucous.  For that reason, a tongue scraper is often effective in relieving oral malodor caused by sinus drainage.  I have found that almost everyone brushes their teeth, several floss, but very few utilize a tongue scraper.

The study reviewed literature examining the effects of using tongue scrapers to brush the tongue, rather than using a toothbrush to scrape the tongue.  Data revealed that a tongue cleaner/scraper demonstrated a significant difference in reducing volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) levels, which are produced when bacteria and amino acids interact to produce bad breath. 

Though there is no standard treatment, bacteria-causing halitosis can be reduced by brushing or scraping the middle and back of the tongue.  Tongue scraping can lower VSC concentration, subsequently reducing oral malodor.  The bad news however, is that reduction is only short-term, and not an absolute solution for eliminating malodor.  The authors of the General Dentistry article feel that future research is necessary to determine what role undetected odorants may play in oral malodor, as well as more well designed, randomized clinical trials to compare the effectiveness of tongue scrapers, toothbrushes, and mouth rinses on reducing VSC levels.

Despite the short-term reduction, tongue scrapers are a good tool for the short-term.  Tongue cleaners and scrapers are straightforward and comfortable to use, easy to transport, and inexpensively priced. Cleaning the tongue is quickly and easily accomplished. Everyone from children to elders should be able to incorporate this technique into their oral care regimen without too much concern.

Bad breath basics:

• Halitosis is a general term used to describe any disagreeable odor of expired air, regardless of its origin.
• Bad breath is a generally accepted term for foul smells emanating from the mouth.
• Oral malodor is a term reserved for halitosis originating from the oral cavity.

For those of you who suffer from bad breath (and even those who don’t), think about adding a tongue scraper to your home hygiene routine.  Have a great week and as always, e-mail your questions to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .