O12 Volatile markers of oral malodor in the breath

Abstract

Objective To identify the chemical composition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the breath of patients with oral malodor.Methods Patients with strong offensive oral malodor (n = 4) donated oral cavity breath into inflatable bags lined with polyethylene. Patients had grade ≥3 oral malodor on an organoleptic scale (0–5) as assessed by trained organoleptic judges. In the laboratory, each bag was heated to 38°C to vaporize condensed water. 150 ml breath was then removed from the bag and injected on to a sorbent trap (Carbotrap, Supelco) in order to capture the VOCs. Samples were analyzed by automated thermal desorption with gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (ATD/GC/MS) and the VOCs were identified from a computer‐based library of mass spectra.Results and discussion The 10 most abundant VOCs observed were (in descending order): methylbenzene, 2,2‐dimethyldecane, 2,2,3,3‐tetramethylbutane, 2‐propanone, 3‐methyl‐5‐propylnonane, methylcyclohexane, 3‐methylhexane, 2‐methyl‐1‐propene, ethanol and methylcyclopentane. These VOCs may have been produced by bacterial metabolism.Conclusions Assay with ATD/GC/MS identified the most abundant VOCs in oral cavity breath of patients with strong offensive oral malodor. Potential clinical applications of this technique include identification of the VOCs responsible for oral malodor in individual patients, and monitoring the effectiveness of treatment to reduce the abundance of these VOCs.