If bad breath persists even after thorough brushing, the cause may be inadequately rinsed toothpaste. Experts advise rinsing the mouth about 10 times after brushing to completely remove toothpaste residue.
According to a paper published in the Journal of Korean Academy of Oral Health by a research team from the Department of Dental Hygiene at Gachon University Graduate School of Public Health on Tuesday, tests using a halitosis meter found that 25.9% of Koreans showed bad breath concentrations above the standard level, while those wanting bad breath treatment reached an even higher 54.2%.
This means roughly one in four people has bad breath exceeding objective standards, and more than half feel the need for treatment.
The problem arises when bad breath does not disappear despite daily brushing. One cause cited is toothpaste residue remaining in the mouth.
Synthetic surfactants in toothpaste create foam to enhance cleaning effects, but when they remain in the mouth, they dry out the oral mucosa. When saliva decreases, its sterilizing function weakens, and bacteria that cause bad breath multiply in the gap.
According to a research team from the Department of Public Health at Hanyang University, toothpaste with high surfactant content can reduce saliva secretion and raise the bad breath index. The team recommended toothpaste with little or no surfactant for patients with dry mouth or elderly people with reduced saliva secretion.
Bacteria, tongue coating, and food debris dislodged by brushing also decay and produce odor if they remain in the mouth, so after brushing one should rinse with water several times to wash away foreign matter.
However, rinsing alone makes it difficult to completely eliminate bad breath. Tongue care must accompany it. A periodontology research team at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands identified tongue coating as a key cause of bad breath. The tongue coating on the surface of the tongue is home to large amounts of odor-producing bacteria. A habit of cleaning the back of the tongue with a tongue cleaner or toothbrush and then rinsing is necessary.
The temperature of the rinsing water is also a variable. When a dental hygiene research team at Gangneung Yeongdong University compared bad breath changes by water temperature during brushing, plaque and bad breath decreased the most when rinsing with warm water. This can be interpreted to mean that lukewarm or warm water is more advantageous than cold water in dissolving toothpaste components and foreign matter.
