Bad breath

Bad breath

Many chemicals cause the smell in bad breath including hydrogen sulphide, methyl mercaptan and putrescine
Garlic rubbed into the soles of the feet can be detected later in the breath
On average, people in the UK clean their teeth 13 times a week (Observer 20 June 2004)
Politicians, lawyers, judges and teachers have the worst breath – they talk a lot, so their mouths dry out (Professor M Rosenberg)
Shakespeare mentions breath smell - sweet or stinking - more than 100 times. In his day, most people had bad breath (Professor M Rosenberg)

Most people worry about having bad breath, which also known as halitosis, as shown by the huge sales of breath fresheners. However, it is not easy to tell whether you have it or not.

There is actually a psychological condition called delusion of halitosis or halitophobia, in which people have an unshakeable belief that their breath smells, although in fact it does not. Their lives are totally dominated by their ‘bad breath’ and they are not amenable to reason.