Halitosis is a bad odor in mouth. The etiology of halitosis is multifactorial including intra-oral and extra-oral causes. It affects social interactions in many people. The aim of this study is to investigate an association between recognition group and non-recognition group by evaluating halitosis level and systemic factors. Nineteen participants who visited Department of Periodontology of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital were enrolled. Volatile sulfur a compounds (VSCs) were measured by Oral ChromaⓇ, a questionnaire was requested and oral exam was carried out in all subjects. Female is more sensitive than male for oral malodor. VSCs level of hydrogen sulfide(H2S) and methyl mercaptan(CH3SH) in male is higher than that in female. Participants who gave appeal dry mouth seem to recognize halitosis.

Poor oral hygiene can cause severe periodontal disease. Therefore, it is necessary to educate individuals regarding the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene. To this end, in this study, we evaluated the efficacy of using a phase contrast microscope as an instructional tool for oral hygiene. Forty patients, randomly divided into test and control groups, were recruited 6 months after receiving oral prophylaxis. A phase control microscope was used as a demonstration tool for the test group, and a dentiform model was used to demonstrate the ideal tooth-brushing method for the control group. In the test group, awareness regarding the importance of proper oral hygiene was found to increase by 30%, and in the control group, awareness was increased by 20%. The overall satisfaction with the instructional program was 80% in the test and 70% in the control group. The level of understanding was 99% in the test and 80% in the control group. Instructions were easily followed by 80% of the test and 60% of the control group. Understanding of the program was significantly higher in the test group than in the control group (p < 0.05). The overall satisfaction and understanding of proper oral hygiene was over 70% for both the groups. The phase contrast microscope-based instructional program yielded higher actual practice rates. The phase contrast microscope is desirable tool for motivating patients and spreading awareness regarding the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene.