Dental Team Identify Bacteria Behind Bad Breath

Tue, 13 May 2008

Dental experts at Glasgow University Dental School have found previously unidentified families of bacteria that contribute to bad breath .

The team of experts used a range of new techniques for gathering and analysing bacteria to identify the bugs in the back of people's mouths.

Researchers also believe they have isolated the families of bugs responsible for creating bad breath and say the next step will be finding a way to stop the bacteria from producing bad odours in the mouth.

The scientists analysed the bacteria on the tongues of 20 halitosis sufferers, using new techniques that can examine traces of bacteria DNA .

The results identified 39 new kinds of bacteria around the back of the tongue alone, adding to the 700 strains already known to medical experts.

The new kinds of bacteria have been classified according to their similarity with current strains of known bacteria . Individuals with bad breath were found to have had more of the previously unidentified bacteria than those without halitosis .

The experts also found a link between two known families of bacteria and odours in the mouth.

Dr Marcello Riggio, an expert in microbiology at the dental school, said: "What we have done here is work out which families of bacteria seem to be responsible for bad breath."

"The key now is to find out how to neutralise the reactions which cause the nasty smelly compounds."

"Most mouthwashes don't actually cure bad breath, they just mask the smell with something else," he added.
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