A simple method to reduce halitosis; tongue scraping with probiotics

PubMed: 31639775Objective: We aimed to assess the effects of probiotic implantation to the dorsum of the tongue against halitosis. Materials and methods: 100 participants were randomly divided into three groups as tongue back scraping (TS), probiotic implantation to the dorsum of the tongue (PB) and mouthwash alone as the control group (MW). Measurements were taken before the treatment, after the first month of treatment and one month after the cessation of treatment. Results: Halimeter, winkel and woodlight scores were evaluated initially, in the first month and after the cessation of the treatment. All of MW measurements showed no difference throughout the study. All of TS measurements decreased significantly in the first month (p < 0.05) but rose again in the final count. All of PB measurements significantly decreased in the first month and kept their low levels after the cessation of the treatment (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Probiotics and tongue scraping are widely used against halitosis but they are not intended to be used together. In this study, we proposed and proved an effective method of probiotic implantation by tongue scraping and showed that halitosis did not recur after the cessation of the treatment. © 2019 IOP Publishing Ltd