90) Heal the bad breath

Because of problems with bad breath, many people leave to marry, attend social gatherings and even to seek employment, according Vinicius Pedrazzi, a professor at the Faculty of Dentistry of USP (University of São Paulo) from Ribeirao Preto. By definition, the bad breath, or halitose, is an unpleasant odor from the mouth, lungs and nostrils.

The stink is caused by bacteria, which break down food and dead cells of the mouth. When the saliva, which is rich in oxygen, is very dry, those bacteria that live in a free oxygen, proliferate and promoting fermentation. Here comes the bad breath.

According Pedrazzi, only a proper hygiene of the mouth can fight bad breath on most occasions. "Clear your teeth at least four times a day, using dental floss at least before sleeping (and always before brushing) and do the cleaning of the language, a habit that brazilians have not assimilaram, is the minimum that a person must do to speak without fear, linking up with security and interacting socially with others, "he says. According to the professor of USP, only 1% of cases of bad breath, or halitose, are due to problems in the digestive system.

Three percent of cases are caused by inflammation and accumulation of food in the tonsils, as of 5% to 10% occur by nasal problems. There are, according Pedrazzi, a wide margin of 90% of causes of bad breath related to problems in the oral cavity. The vast majority of them for lack of proper hygiene in the teeth and tongue. Who has never felt constrained by being caught, or because he felt could be noticed, with a bad smell characteristic in the mouth?

But talk about bad breath is still a taboo among people, although this evil is more common than you think. A survey conducted in the U.S. in 2002 and published in the journal "The Science of Bad Breath" showed that 35% of North Americans suffer from chronic bad breath (for life), while 50% of that suffering badly from time to time. That is, about 90% of the population have, or have had bad breath at some point in life. In Brazil, there are no precise data on the subject, but experts believe that the rates are very similar to those of North Americans. "People should accept this problem better. Often it intensifies because the other people who are not communicate with bad breath," says the dentist Joseane Maria Dias Bosco.

Gazeta de Ribeirão