Bad breath According to a study, some probiotic bacteria may be beneficial.
Probiotics in foods like yogurt, sourdough bread, and miso soup are fermented and may be able to balance out the gaseous sulfur compounds that mouth bacteria release.
Probiotic foods, such as yogurt, can be tried for about a week by someone with chronic foul breath to determine whether they affect the odor of their mouth.
According to a recent study, the probiotic bacteria present in fermented foods like yogurt, sourdough bread, and miso soup may help reduce persistent bad breath.
According to the findings, which were published Tuesday in BMJ Open, an examination of earlier studies found that some bacteria taken as supplements, such as Lactobacillus salivarius and Lactobacillus reuteri, may aid in breath freshening.
Only cavities and periodontal disease are more frequently associated with patient referrals to the dentist than bad breath, or halitosis, according to Chinese researchers.
According to the researchers, oral bacteria produce gaseous mixtures of sulfur and other elements known as volatile sulfuric compounds, which are a primary contributor to persistent bad breath.
Would it be feasible to counteract those substances' effects?
The researchers combed through the medical literature in search of papers on the subject to get a better understanding of whether probiotic bacteria might help control foul breath. In the end, they discovered seven clinical trials with 278 participants, ranging in age from 19 to 70.
Measurements of the chemicals found in the mouth and a score indicating the strength of the foul breath odors at various distances from the mouth were used to determine the degree of bad breath in the trials.
When the data from the seven studies were combined, the researchers discovered that participants who took probiotics had considerably lower levels of the chemicals linked to bad breath than those who received placebos. However, the gains only lasted for around four weeks before they were gone.
Although the results were positive, the researchers point out that the initial trials were somewhat small.
The researchers concluded that "further high-quality, randomized clinical trials are needed in the future to confirm the findings and to provide evidence for the effectiveness of probiotics for the therapy of halitosis."
Dr. Alessandro Villa, director of oral medicine, oral oncology, and dentistry at Baptist Health South Florida's Miami Cancer Institute, said the findings make sense. It is unknown, however, whether actual meals, such as yogurt or pickles, will replace supplements in a way that is as beneficial.
According to Villa, it would be reasonable for someone who has terrible breath to do a brief experiment to determine whether eating such fermented foods could help for a week or two.
According to Dr. Martinna Bertolini, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh. of Illinois at Chicago's department of periodontics and preventive dentistry, fermented and probiotic foods are made up of beneficial live microorganisms, but it's important to know what kinds and how much bacteria they contain.
"One thing to note is that the intake of dairy products may also contribute to an increase in carbs and sugars consumption and lead to an increased deposition of plaque and biofilm," Bertolini wrote in an email. "This is important to keep in mind when including a probiotics-rich diet."
People with persistent bad breath should visit a dentist to rule out any underlying medical conditions, according to nutritionist Perri Halperin.
Halperin, the clinical nutrition coordinator at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, noted that it might be a sign of health problems that aren't necessarily dental in nature.
One of the potential causes of foul breath is:
1. gum illness
2. Cavities
3. a few foods, like garlic
4. complications with the tonsils
5. kidney illness
6. chronic diabetes
7. mouth ache
According to Villa, inadequate hydration and certain medications, such as some of those used to treat high blood pressure and diabetes, can cause dry mouth, a condition in which the body doesn't make enough saliva.
