Abstract
To determine the oral status of 300 children treated at our hospital, their parents were asked to complete a questionnaire. The items surveyed included: 1. presence of halitosis,2. brushing habits,3. intra-oral condition,4. life style,5. oral habits,6. general health,7. smoking in the home. In addition,96 subjects were selected at random from those surveyed and the quantity of intra-oral ammonia was measured by a halitosis test system (AteinTM).
As a result of the survey the subjects were categorized into two groups; Group A, children with noticeable halitosis (137,45.7%) and Group B, children without halitosis (163). In Group A, parents most frequently responded that halitosis was noticeable upon their child waking up (66.0%). The most frequent remedies for morning halitosis were not to do anything (37.6%) or to have them brush their teeth (36.8%). Using the X2-test between each survey item in Groups A and B, the following items differed significantly between the two groups: gingival bleeding when brushing (p<0.05), gingival pain (p<0.005), fur coating of the tongue (p<0.001), and smoking in the home (p<0.001). The halitosis test showed that the average concentrations of ammonia differed significantly between Groups A and B, at 25.5±173 ppm and 18.7±16.1 ppm, respectively (p<0.05; Mann-Whitney Utest).
In conclusion, it was suggested that we need more studies and clinical approaches concerning halitosis in children.
