BY NOW we are all familiar with the face mask.
We wear it each time we venture out of our comfort and safe zones, away from our immediate family and into the realm of the unknown.
Who knows, we fear and rightly so, the coronavirus might be lurking in droplets and aerosols in the area around people we come into contact or converse with, even friends and relatives.
Without a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 infection, the face mask – used with other essential health protocols – is one of the most effective way to prevent the transmission of the disease.
We repeat here those health protocols against COVID-19. Outside of your homes, wear a face mask. Wear a face shield. Distance yourself at least six feet away from people. Wash your hands with soap and water often.
And so on. By now we know the drill.
By now we also know that bad breath may lurk behind the face mask.
If you smell something funny from your face mask, it’s you. That’s the way your mouth smells, the odor adhering to the surface of the face mask.
The fiber that makes up the face mask acts as a repository of the saliva that comes out and the moisture that you breathe out of your mouth.
To dentists and doctors, bad breath simply means halitosis. An article we came across calls it “oral malodor.”
The article is posted on the website of the National Center for Biotechnology Information, a part of the US National Institutes of Health.
The lead author of the article, Dr. S. R. Porter, Professor of Oral Medicine at the Eastman Dental Institute, University College London, writes that oral malodor (halitosis) is common in people of all ages.
Most people have some element of transient unpleasant oral odor at some time, the article observes. In the developed world, up to 50 percent of people perceive that they have persistent recurrent episodes of oral malodor.
“When severe or longstanding, it may decrease self-confidence and social interactions,” Dr. Porter writes.
“Longstanding oral malodor is usually caused by oral, or sometimes nasopharyngeal, disease.
“The most likely cause of oral malodor is the accumulation of food debris and dental bacterial plaque on the teeth and tongue, resulting from poor oral hygiene and resultant gingival (gingivitis ) and periodontal (gingivitis/periodontitis) inflammation.”
Although most types of gum disease (gingivitis and periodontitis) can give rise to malodor, acute gingivitis (Vincent’s disease, trench mouth) causes the most notable halitosis.
Aggressive periodontitis, typified by rapid loss of gum bone and resultant tooth mobility, can cause intense oral malodor.
Lack of oral cleansing because of xerostomia (dryness of the mouth) also has the potential to cause or enhance malodor.
“Some evidence indicates that wearing dentures may sometimes cause oral malodor, possibly by virtue of increased tongue coat deposits,” the article observes.
Bad breath can be avoided with proper oral hygiene like brushing the teeth and scrubbing the tongue.
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Dr. Joseph D. Lim is the former Associate Dean of the UE College of Dentistry, former Dean of the College of Dentistry, National University, past president and honorary fellow of the Asian Oral Implant Academy, and honorary fellow of the Japan College of Oral Implantologists. Honorary Life Member of Thai Association of Dental Implantology. For questions on dental health, e-mail jdlim2008@gmail.com or text 0917-8591515./PN
