I was very interested in the February JADA article, "Oral Malodor," by the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs. I found the article to be extremely complete and well-documented.
After retiring from the practice of orthodontics, treatments for bad breath became my main focus of professional interest. I’ve been a member of the International Society of Breath Oral Research for a couple of years, and I certainly know that halitosis is more than a minor condition or a mere cosmetic complaint.
If you consider the definition of health given by the World Health Organization ("health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity"), patients who come to my office because of bad breath can be considered to suffer from a complex social, emotional, physical and spiritual misbalance. They need help, and I like to see myself as a sort of therapeutic partner trying to have their demands satisfied as soon as possible.
I agree with the report that more studies exploring the etiology and treatment of bad breath odor are needed. But I think that the time has come for dentists, physicians, psychologists and other health care professionals to deal actively with the problem, and to suggest the best therapeutic approach according to our current level of knowledge.
I hope that this excellent report leads the way to a better understanding of the condition, and helps encourage colleges to include it in the curricula. Our patients will acknowledge our effort to integrate them into society.
Again, I feel it is high time we tackle bad breath without hesitation. If we do not put out our hands to help sufferers, treatment will remain in the hands of many nonacademic providers, and patients will have no other option than to be assisted by employees of supermarkets or drugstores instead of competent professionals.
