History of Bad Breath

Not surprisingly, the history of bad breath – or halitosis – goes back a long way. People have been suffering from this problem for thousands of years and trying, of course, to find a solution. Medical scrolls from 1500BC mention the condition and ancient cultures had traditional ways of treating it, many of which parallel the remedies we use today. People in the Far East devised an early tongue cleaner, and people all over the world turned to aromatic herbs and spices to freshen the breath and mask breath odor. Mint, anise, cloves, cinnamon, parsley, guava, and lots of others have been used.

Halitosis in the past was generally regarded as a personal hygiene problem rather than a health problem and sufferers were often stigmatized, ostracized, and blamed for their condition. In some cultures divorce was sanctioned when one of a couple had the problem. During the twentieth century, help came in the form of commercial mouthwashes and breath mints, but the history of bad breath did not take a significant turn until we figured out the source of the odor. That information gave us a recognizable target.

University of British Columbia researcher Dr. J. Tonzetich figures prominently in the history of bad breath. In 1964, he proved that the typical foul smell of oral malodor came from volatile sulfur compounds (VSC). These compounds proved to come from anaerobic bacteria that are a normal part of the bacterial life in human mouths – they aren’t a problem unless they multiply to numbers large enough to be detectable. Most cases of halitosis in the past, like today, were caused by an overgrowth of anaerobes.

Since 1964, we’ve learned that VSC-producing anaerobes live in large numbers on the surface of the back of the tongue, and also in pockets and folds in the gums, and between the teeth. A suspicion that halitosis in the past was caused by gum disease and tooth decay has been proven, but we also know that lots of people with healthy mouths suffer from the problem as well. The most recent developments in the history of bad breath have been products that specifically attack anaerobic bacteria in the mouth, and objective methods of measuring and diagnosing oral malodor. In all likelihood, the first really effective treatments for this problem are just around the corner.