Psychological condition of patients complaining of halitosis

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship betwe en the actual degree of malodor and the psychological condition of patients complaining of halitosis. Methods: The subjects consisted of 155 patients aged 36 +/- 17 years (mean +/- SD) who visited the Halitosis Clinic at Kyushu University Dental Hospit al, Fukuoka, Japan. The Cornell Medical Index (CMI) Health Questionnaire wa s used to evaluate the psychological condition of patients. The degree of h alitosis was estimated by the organoleptic test. Results: Fifty-five percent of the patients had no or slight odor. Patients with a lower degree of halitosis showed a stronger psychopathological prof ile. There was a significant correlation between the degree of halitosis: a nd the tendency toward neurosis (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient r= -0.37, P < 0.001). Conclusions: The results suggest that psychological condition is closely as sociated with symptoms of patients complaining of halitosis. The CMI Health Questionnaire may be a helpful tool for the diagnosis of patients who comp lain of halitosis. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.