Abstract
Patients complaining of foul breath tend to visit either dentists/oral surgeons (A-group) or psychiatrists (B-group). In this study, the clinical characteristics of patients in these two groups (A: 19, B: 15) were compared.
1) The age of onset of the symptom in patients in A-group tends to be higher than that in B-group.
2) The belief that one's own breath is foul is more marked in patients in B-group than those in A-group.
3) Ideas on further references were more frequently seen among B-group patients than Agroup patients.
4) A few patients in group A had delusions of foul breath and of others noticing it. Further discussion on ways to cope with severe cases is needed among dentists/oral surgeons.
