Association between halitosis and mouth breathing in children

OBJECTIVE To determine whether there is a correlation between halitosis and mouth breathing in children. STUDY DESIGN Fifty-five children between 3 and 14 years of age were divided into two groups (nasal and mouth breathing) for the assessment of halitosis. A descriptive analysis was conducted on the degree of halitosis in each group. The chi-square test was used for comparison between groups, with a 5% level of significance. RESULTS There was a significantly greater number of boys with the mouth-breathing pattern than girls. A total of 23.6% of the participants had no mouth odor, 12.7% had mild odor, 12.7% had moderate odor and 50.9% had strong odor. There was a statistically significant association between halitosis and mouth breathing. CONCLUSIONS The occurrence of halitosis was high among the children evaluated, and there was a statistically significant association between halitosis and mouth breathing.