Bad Breath Linked to Bacteria Responsible for Ulcers, Cancer

More Than Halitosis

Bad Breath Linked to Bacteria Responsible for Ulcers, Cancer

New research from Japan has found a link between bad breath and the bacteria that causes stomach ulcers and cancer.

The study, which was published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology, revealed that the bacteria responsible for both stomach ulcers and cancer were found in the mouths of some people with halitosis.

Research has revealed that infection by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which is carried by more than 90 percent of people in the developing world and 20 to 80 percent of people in the developed world, was a possible cause of peptic ulcers and gastric cancers.

The more recent study produced by Dr Nao Suzuki from Fukuoka Dental College in Fukuoka, Japan and colleagues, suggested that the human mouth, which is home to hundreds different species of bacteria (some of which cause disease), is a possible reservoir for H. pylori, particularly in the presence of periodontal disease, a known cause of halitosis.

According to Suzuki, halitosis is common in humans and is mostly caused by gum disease, debris on the tongue and poor oral hygiene.

Suzuki and his colleagues tested patients complaining of halitosis for the presence of H. pylori, studying DNA scans of saliva taken from hundreds of citizens, many of whom had halitosis.

Of the participants 102 had periodontal disease, 16 percent of whom had H. pylori in their mouths.

These results led researchers to conclude that deep periodontal pockets and inflammation create favorable conditions for the growth of H. pylori bacteria.

This research means that patients with periodontal disease coupled with halitosis should be tested for H. pylori infection.