CORRELATION BETWEEN MEASUREMENTS USING A NEW HALITOSIS MONITOR AND ORGANOLEPTIC ASSESSMENT

HALITOSIS IS KNOWN AS UNPLEASANT Oral Odor and is a health concern amo ng the general public. Previously, we reported on a new portable monit or with a zinc-oxide, thin-film, semiconductor sensor which demonstrat ed simplicity of handling, high reproducibility and correspondence for organoleptic assessment. The results suggested its usefulness for the diagnosis of halitosis. Using the monitor, oral air samples of 94 sub jects were measured in a field survey, and the values were compared wi th the organoleptic rates of corresponding samples assessed by two jud ges. A highly significant correlation (r=0.824, P<0.01) was demonstrat ed between the measures obtained by the two methods. The results sugge st that the monitor is useful for not only a clinical study but also a field study of halitosis.