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Development of a portable bad-breath monitor and application to field study of halitosis
International Congress Series 1284 (2005) 201 – 202
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Development of a portable bad-breath monitor and application to field study of halitosis Naoko Tanda a,*, Masaki Iwakura b, Kyoko Ikawa b, Junpei Washio b, Ayumi Kusano b, Kengo Suzuki c, Takeyoshi Koseki b a
Division of Preventive Dentistry, Tohoku University Hospital, 4-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8575, Japan b Division of Preventive Dentistry, Department of Oral Health and Development Sciences, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, Japan c New Cosmos Electric Co., Ltd, Osaka, Japan
Abstract. Approximately 90% of oral malodour is believed to originate from foul-smelling gases such as volatile sulphur compounds (H2S, CH3SH, CH3SCH3), produced by oral bacteria. To detect the volatile sulphur compounds (VSC) objectively and easily is necessary for better diagnosis of halitosis especially for private clinics or field study. We have developed a bad-breath monitor, Breathtronk, equipped with a semiconductor gas sensor and a special filter for removing obstructive gases. 16 gases were used to reveal sensing characteristic of this sensor. The sensitivity of the sensor was high enough to detect 0.01 ppm VSC. The mouth air of 42 volunteers was analyzed. Adequate correlation was found between Breathtronk vs. gas chromatography (r = 0.817). The correlation between Breathtronk and olfactory panel was also confirmed (r = 0.644). Furthermore, we examined 869 adults (386 males and 483 females) in a Japanese rural town under informed consent. Halitosis was seen in about 40% of the examinees. The amount of tongue coating and the number of present teeth were found to be related to halitosis. Breathtronk can be used widely at private clinics or even in field study of halitosis for its portable size, simple operation, and short measuring time. D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Portable bad-breath monitor; Halitosis; Field study
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +81 22 717 8329; fax: +81 22 717 8332. E-mail address: [email protected] (N. Tanda). 0531-5131/ D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ics.2005.06.064
202
N. Tanda et al. / International Congress Series 1284 (2005) 201–202
1. Introduction Halitosis is one of the common diseases and it needs professional treatment. The disease rate, however, has not been clarified especially in field study. The aim of this study is to develop a reliable and portable bad-breath monitor which can be used widely at private clinics and even in field study of halitosis. 2. Development of Breathtronk Breathtronk is a portable bad-breath monitor. The weight is almost 2 kg and the size is W 150 mm H 150 mm D 230 mm. The detective portion of it is VSC specific semiconductor sensor, which is made up of a thick ZnO film coating with a catalyst layer of alumina. We examined the sensing characteristic for various kinds of 16 gases (H2S, CH3SH, CH3SCH3, CH3SSCH3, (CH3)3N, CH3COCH3, CH3CHO, CH3COOC2H5, C6H5C2H3, C2H5OH, C2H5OC2H5, i-C4H10, C2H4, H2, CO, CH4). The sensitivity of the sensor was high enough to detect 0.01 ppm VSC, while the selectivity was not high enough. To compensate for the selectivity, we developed a disposable mouse piece with a special filter for removing obstructive gases. The sensor and the special filter made this monitor reliable to detect very small amount of VSC in short measuring time (45 s per measuring). The mouth air of 42 volunteers was analyzed under informed consent by Breathtronk, gas chromatography, and olfactory panel to clarify the correspondence with each other. Adequate correlation was found between Breathtronk vs. gas chromatography (r = 0.817). The correlation between Breathtronk and olfactory panel was also confirmed (r = 0.644) (Spearman’s rank test). 3. Application to field study We examined the adults who attended the mass health examination in a rural town of Japan. 1065 residents participated in the dental examination which included Community Periodontal Index and tongue coating evaluations. We analyzed the data of 869 examinees (386 males and 483 females) under informed consent. The VSC level in mouth air was measured by Breathtronk monitors. The value over 250 ppb by Breathtronk means bad breath. 39.7% of the examinees (159 males and 186 females) were judged as halitosis positive by Breathtronk. The amount of tongue coating and the number of present teeth were related to halitosis. 4. Conclusion We developed a new portable bad-breath monitor, Breathtronk, and applied it to a field study in a rural town in Japan. The disease rate of halitosis was about 40%. The amount of tongue coating and the number of present teeth were related to halitosis.
www.ics-elsevier.com
Development of a portable bad-breath monitor and application to field study of halitosis Naoko Tanda a,*, Masaki Iwakura b, Kyoko Ikawa b, Junpei Washio b, Ayumi Kusano b, Kengo Suzuki c, Takeyoshi Koseki b a
Division of Preventive Dentistry, Tohoku University Hospital, 4-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8575, Japan b Division of Preventive Dentistry, Department of Oral Health and Development Sciences, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, Japan c New Cosmos Electric Co., Ltd, Osaka, Japan
Abstract. Approximately 90% of oral malodour is believed to originate from foul-smelling gases such as volatile sulphur compounds (H2S, CH3SH, CH3SCH3), produced by oral bacteria. To detect the volatile sulphur compounds (VSC) objectively and easily is necessary for better diagnosis of halitosis especially for private clinics or field study. We have developed a bad-breath monitor, Breathtronk, equipped with a semiconductor gas sensor and a special filter for removing obstructive gases. 16 gases were used to reveal sensing characteristic of this sensor. The sensitivity of the sensor was high enough to detect 0.01 ppm VSC. The mouth air of 42 volunteers was analyzed. Adequate correlation was found between Breathtronk vs. gas chromatography (r = 0.817). The correlation between Breathtronk and olfactory panel was also confirmed (r = 0.644). Furthermore, we examined 869 adults (386 males and 483 females) in a Japanese rural town under informed consent. Halitosis was seen in about 40% of the examinees. The amount of tongue coating and the number of present teeth were found to be related to halitosis. Breathtronk can be used widely at private clinics or even in field study of halitosis for its portable size, simple operation, and short measuring time. D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Portable bad-breath monitor; Halitosis; Field study
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +81 22 717 8329; fax: +81 22 717 8332. E-mail address: [email protected] (N. Tanda). 0531-5131/ D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ics.2005.06.064
202
N. Tanda et al. / International Congress Series 1284 (2005) 201–202
1. Introduction Halitosis is one of the common diseases and it needs professional treatment. The disease rate, however, has not been clarified especially in field study. The aim of this study is to develop a reliable and portable bad-breath monitor which can be used widely at private clinics and even in field study of halitosis. 2. Development of Breathtronk Breathtronk is a portable bad-breath monitor. The weight is almost 2 kg and the size is W 150 mm H 150 mm D 230 mm. The detective portion of it is VSC specific semiconductor sensor, which is made up of a thick ZnO film coating with a catalyst layer of alumina. We examined the sensing characteristic for various kinds of 16 gases (H2S, CH3SH, CH3SCH3, CH3SSCH3, (CH3)3N, CH3COCH3, CH3CHO, CH3COOC2H5, C6H5C2H3, C2H5OH, C2H5OC2H5, i-C4H10, C2H4, H2, CO, CH4). The sensitivity of the sensor was high enough to detect 0.01 ppm VSC, while the selectivity was not high enough. To compensate for the selectivity, we developed a disposable mouse piece with a special filter for removing obstructive gases. The sensor and the special filter made this monitor reliable to detect very small amount of VSC in short measuring time (45 s per measuring). The mouth air of 42 volunteers was analyzed under informed consent by Breathtronk, gas chromatography, and olfactory panel to clarify the correspondence with each other. Adequate correlation was found between Breathtronk vs. gas chromatography (r = 0.817). The correlation between Breathtronk and olfactory panel was also confirmed (r = 0.644) (Spearman’s rank test). 3. Application to field study We examined the adults who attended the mass health examination in a rural town of Japan. 1065 residents participated in the dental examination which included Community Periodontal Index and tongue coating evaluations. We analyzed the data of 869 examinees (386 males and 483 females) under informed consent. The VSC level in mouth air was measured by Breathtronk monitors. The value over 250 ppb by Breathtronk means bad breath. 39.7% of the examinees (159 males and 186 females) were judged as halitosis positive by Breathtronk. The amount of tongue coating and the number of present teeth were related to halitosis. 4. Conclusion We developed a new portable bad-breath monitor, Breathtronk, and applied it to a field study in a rural town in Japan. The disease rate of halitosis was about 40%. The amount of tongue coating and the number of present teeth were related to halitosis.