Study Shows: Treating Periodontal Disease Freshens Breath

A recent study claims that treating periodontal disease not only makes you healthier, but also freshens your breath.
The study, performed by Japanese researchers, involved 102 people with periodontal disease.  Everyone involved in the study had bad breath (halitosis.)

"Dentists used a device that measured their levels of three chemicals that commonly cause bad breath.

There are a lot of reasons for halitosis. Including:

• A dry mouth
• Chemicals produced by bacteria on the tongue and gums
• Chemicals produced by bacteria in dental plaque on the tooth
• Foods (such as garlic)
• Respiratory tract infections"

Some of the participants were appointed to receive a periodontal treatment first, and only then, a tongue cleaning.  The rest of them got a tongue cleaning first, and then a periodontal treatment.  The breath of every participant was tested two times, after the first type of treatment and after the second.

The research showed that both types of treatment helped bad breath, "For patients with periodontal disease, periodontal treatment improved people's breath more than tongue cleaning did."  By the end of the study, none of the participants had bad breath.

Source: The Journal of Periodontal Research