Everyone Healthy Library
Halitosis
Also Known As: Bad Breath; Breath Odour
Condition / disease reference page from the Everyone Healthy database.
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Connected health information
Explore this condition in a clear order
Linked signs and symptoms
1Each sign/symptom opens its own page and links back to related conditions.
Linked drugs / medications
0No linked drugs are listed yet.
Treatments, therapies and supportive options
14Grouped by treatment type. These are educational database links, not personal treatment recommendations. Evidence labels are shown only where stored in the EH database.
Medical therapy
1Lifestyle changes
4Behavioural changes
3Alternative and complementary therapies
3Alternative medicine
2Linked diagnostic tests and investigations
0No linked diagnostic tests are listed yet.
Biological markers/agents
0This visual map shows biological markers/agents reported as increased or decreased with this condition. These are educational relationships only; test results must be interpreted by a qualified clinician because ranges vary by lab, method, age, sex and clinical context.
No biological marker/agent links are listed yet for this condition.
Introduction / full article
Halitosis
Halitosis
Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:
Pokeweed Antiviral Protein (PAP) [8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13]:
Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. Warning! All parts of the plant, Pokeweed (Phytolacca Americana), is poisonous and should not be ingested. Thoroughly cooking the plant reduces that toxicity. The effects of the improperly prepared plant include vomiting, diarrhoea, cramps, headache, confusion, convulstions, low blood pressure, heart block and death. Only plant extracts (PAP) or thoroughly prepared plants should be ingested, and even then, under professional medical guidance.
Recommendation: no recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that PAP helps to treat halitosis)
Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence
* www.gradeworkinggroup.org
Summary References
1. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec08/ch094/ch094c.html?qt=halitosis&alt=sh#sec08-ch094-ch094b-912ff
2. http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com.ezproxy.library.uwa.edu.au/cochrane/clsysrev/articles/CD005519/frame.html
3. http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com.ezproxy.library.uwa.edu.au/cochrane/clsysrev/articles/CD006701/frame.html
4. Rosenberg M. The science of bad breath. Sci Am. 2002 Apr;286(4):72-9
5. Yaegaki K, Coil JM, Kamemizu T, Miyazaki H. Tongue brushing and mouth rinsing as basic treatment measures for halitosis. Int Dent J. 2002 Jun;52 Suppl 3:192-6
6. Scully C, Rosenberg M. Halitosis. Dent Update. 2003 May;3
7. Naveen Pattnaik, The Tree of Life
8. Ades T, Alteri R, Gansler T, Yeargin P, "Complete Guide to Complimentary & Alternative Cancer Therapies", American Cancer Society, Atlanta USA, 2009
9. http://www.cbif.gc.ca/pls/pp/ppack.info?p_psn=12&p_type=all&p_sci=sci&p_x=px
10. http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Phytolacca+americana
11. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/315368
12. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002874.htm
13. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/pokeweed