Determining the association between oral malodor and periodontal disease: A case control study.

AIM: To assess the role of periodontal health in oral malodor causation and compare the two methods (organoleptic and Halimeter) of malodor measurement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 240 subjects (60 subjects without any evidence of periodontal disease and 180 patients with gingivitis and periodontitis) were evaluated for periodontal and oral malodor parameters. Periodontal parameters included Plaque Index (PI), Gingival Index (GI), mSBI, calculus component of OHIS, pocket depth (PD), and clinical attachment level (CAL), and oral malodor was assessed by organoleptic scores, Halimeter readings, and Tongue Coating Index (TCI). RESULTS: 80% of the sample when assessed organoleptically (i.e. 192 subjects) and 74.6% when assessed with Halimeter (i.e. 179 subjects) presented with varying degrees of halitosis. All the clinical parameters were significantly associated with oral malodor (P < 0.001). The amount of tongue coating and bleeding on probing played the most important role in increasing VSC concentration, followed by periodontal status, plaque indices, and calculus component. CONCLUSION: There was a high prevalence of halitosis in the present study population. All the clinical parameters were significantly related to oral malodor in this study, and the results indicate that determining VSC levels with Halimeter is a useful means of diagnosing halitosis objectively.

Clinicopathologic evaluation of lesions associated with tobacco usage.

INTRODUCTION: Tobacco usage in different forms is the single most common etiological factor responsible for oral cancers. The aim of the present study was to record various mucosal lesions associated with tobacco usage and to ascertain the prevalence of dysplasia in them by histopathological evaluation and to compare the extent of dysplastic features seen among patients associated with a habit of smoked and smokeless form of tobacco. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-six patients with the clinical diagnosis of tobacco related lesions (Leukoplakia, Erythroplakia, Nicotina stomatitis, Tobacco pouch keratosis) were selected. A detailed description of the clinical presentation of the lesion was noted and the patients were subjected to incisional biopsy followed by a histopathological evaluation. RESULTS: Showed dysplastic changes in 50 cases (65.8%) ranging from mild dysplasia in 27 cases (35.5%), moderate dysplasia in 17 cases (22.4%) and 6 cases (7.9%) showed severe dysplasia. Moderate to severe dysplasia was 1.83 times more likely to occur with smokeless tobacco usage when compared to smoked form. Data obtained from this study reveals that patients with a duration of tobacco usage more than 10 years were 2.17 times more likely to have moderate to severe dysplasia (p = 0.154). CONCLUSION: Thus, the study highlights the role of oral physicians in detecting oral mucosal lesions and screening high-risk patients on a regular basis and also reaffrms the importance of public education, stressing the risk factors for oral cancers.