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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Telling someone that they have bad breath is not an easy thing to do, but it can be a very kind gesture towards a person who has no idea that they have a problem. Initially, expect the person to be embarrassed, and maybe even defensive. They may protest and respond that they don’t have a problem, and it is rude of you to point it out. But in the long run, telling someone that they have a problem with bad breath will help the individual who suffers from it.

The issue becomes how we go about breaking this news to someone. We can’t really judge our own breath very readily. It is simply hard to tell what our breath smells like, so many people have no idea that they have a problem.
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There is a great debate among Islamic scholars as to the seriousness of tracts of the Koran related to bad breath and other forms of personal hygiene.  That debate becomes more important during the holy season of Ramadan, when devout Muslims fast during the daylight hours, a condition that exacerbates bad breath.
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Is chronic bad breath all in your head? It could very well be. There are a number of halitosis sufferers who don’t have bad breath at all. These unfortunate few suffer from a psychological malady called Psuedo-Halitosis. A lot of halitosis sufferers are blissfully unaware of their condition, while others convince themselves they have it even though there’s no subjective evidence.
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How do you know when you have bad breath? Unfortunately, halitosis is a problem that most sufferers are unaware of. Because of the social stigma associated with bad breath, those who are aware of others’ bad breath often hesitate to say anything to the person suffering from it.

There’s a common misconception that bad breath was “invented” in the 20th Century by advertisers who were creating a demand for halitosis products. Bad breath has deep historical roots though; there are numerous references to bad breath in both the Bible and the Koran.
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