Several Central Concepts...

	Bad breath is common, usually originating  from the mouth, and rarely from the gastrointestinal tract.
	Dentists have primary responsibility for diagnosing and treating bad breath.
	The back portion of the tongue dorsum is the most frequently overlooked source of Bad Breath. It can be easily sampled using a plastic spoon.
	Patients complaining of bad breath should be assigned a separate appointment, and should be encouraged to bring along a family member or close friend (confidant).
	Because of the difficulty inherent in smelling our own bad breath, many individuals harbor grossly exaggerated concerns while others remain unaware that they suffer from the problem.
	Although correlative quantitative measurement techniques are available and helpful, the clinician should also make a differential judgment based on actual smelling of the odor emanating from the patient's mouth and nose.
	In most cases, bad breath can be ameliorated by proper dental care, oral hygiene, deep tongue cleaning and, if necessary, rinsing with an effective mouthwash.
	If the problem persists (or the perception of suffering from the problem persists), the patient should be promptly referred for appropriate medical care.

When attending a consultation for Bad Breath, one should refrain from drinking, eating, chewing, rinsing, gargling, and smoking for at least two hours prior to the appointment. Patients should be asked to avoid using scented lipstick, aftershave and perfume on the day of the consultation. Bad Breath examinations should not be performed on patients taking antibiotics.  It is important to determine whether the subject's complaint is legitimate, or has been exaggerated.  History-taking can provide important clues (e.g., allergies, sinusitis, mouth breathing, polyps), however, self-reports are usually not dependable.  As a result, it is helpful to ask the patient to bring along a "confidant", usually a spouse or other family member.  Since bad breath can vary with the time of day (e.g., as an inverse function of saliva flow) and day of the month (e.g., is sometimes worse during menstruation), the odor present at the consultation may or may not be similar to the odor at other times. The confidant can help determine whether the odor(s) present at the time of the consultation is typical, in quality and intensity, to the odor which is generally present.