It’s official — bad breath is number one. Number one when it comes to offensiveness, that is. In a poll of Canadians undertaken by Oral-B, 44% responded that bad breath was the “most offensive oral misdemeanor in the workplace.” Many added that if they knew they had dragon breath, they might skip out on their job or avoid important meetings in order to avoid offending their colleagues.

So is the problem an epidemic of poor oral hygiene? According to the director of a Toronto bad breath clinic, the problem may be more complicated. Director Anne Bosy is looking into the possibility that most corporate bad breath stems from more holistic problems, such as suppressed immune systems, too much stress and just plain bad eating habits.
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The Atkins diet recently took another hit (although an anecdotal one) from the medical community when a 40 year old woman recently entered the hospital for a condition known as ketoacidosis, a condition which in its less threatening form is commonly associated with the high-protein, low-carb Atkins diet.

A professor from the New York school of medicine blamed her diet for the severe case of ketoacidosis, although admitting the patient might also suffer from complicating conditions such as pancreatitis or gastroenteritis as well.
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An Oklahoma City television station, KOCO, recently reiterated some expert findings that some foods can help bad breath, creating an oral environment that discourages the growth of odor-causing bacteria.

Some offer a mechanical aid by cleaning the mouth as you eat — for example, crunchy foods such as apples and carrots.

Other foods ward off smelly bacteria by creating an acidic environment they don’t like, such as fruits rich in natural vitamin C, like blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe and oranges.
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