Psychosocial effects of halitosis among young adults

• Published in: Annals of Indian Psychiatry Vol. 2; no. 2; pp. 120 - 124
• Main Authors: Deolia, ShravaniG, Ali, Mariya, Bhatia, Shriya, Sen, Sourav
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 01.01.2018
• Subjects: FitScan Breath Checker; halitosis; psychosocial effects
• ISSN: 2588-8358; 2588-8366
• DOI: 10.4103/aip.aip_23_18

Background: One of the greatest and oldest taboos in our society is halitosis which is considered as a common dental condition and is suffered by many individuals around the world and dentists are usually the ones they turn to for their first professional help. Aim: This study aims to understand the psychological and the social effects of halitosis among young adults and to correlate their psychosocial effects with different level of halitosis. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed on participants (n = 200; range 18–25 years) using a self-administered closed-ended questionnaire to detect the psychological and social effects of halitosis on individuals, and severity of their halitosis was checked using a device, FitScan® Breath Checker (Tanita Incorporation). A parallel was drawn between their psychosocial effects and severity of halitosis. Results: There were 94 (47%) males and 106 (53%) females used in this study. The age group used was 18–25 years and the younger age group showed a higher incidence of halitosis in relation to the older age group. About 44 (22%) patients out of the 200 gave a score of 0-Happy face on the device FitScan indicating that they were suffering from pseudohalitosis and not true halitosis. Both genders showed not much of difference with respect to the psychological impact of halitosis, however, social impact was seen more in females. Conclusion: This study revealed that pseudohalitosis is common among individuals and it restricts one's caliber. The social effects of halitosis are seen greatly in females, however, the psychological impact of halitosis is seen almost equally in both the genders.