Fixing bad Breath in Children

A new study shows parasites are often responsible for bad breath in children.

Halitosis, or bad breath, is a foul odor that comes from the mouth or nose. It's common in both adults and children and some estimates suggest between 50 percent and 60 percent of the population have it. Most often, the cause is either oral problems, sinus infections or lower respiratory tract disease.

Researchers say it is rare that bad breath is a result of gastrointestinal problems, but not unheard of. This study started because one mother reported her child's bad breath cleared up once he was treated for a parasite. Doctors took that cue and set out to study how the antiparasitic drug worked on bad breath.

One hundred sixty-two children with bad breath, between ages 5 and 16 years, were included in the study. Scientists studied stool samples from the children to look for the presence of parasites, such as pinworms. Children were then randomly assigned to take either mebendazole, an antiparasitic drug, or a placebo pill.

Scientists report 35 percent of the children taking mebendazole had parasites and 33 percent of the placebo group had parasites. Of the children with parasites, 64 percent who were treated with the drug had improvement in their halitosis. Only two of the children treated with the placebo improved. Researchers write, "Parasitosis should be considered a possible cause of halitosis in the pediatric patient population. Mebendazole therapy seems to offer benefit to those children with parasites as a potential cause of their halitosis."

SOURCE: Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 2002;156:995-998