The Bad Breath Blog

One of the perks of being a bad breath expert is that you get to monitor the state of halitosis research. While in other fields it might be boring to read hundreds of studies and sift through reams of data, for me there’s nothing better than hunkering down with the latest investigations into the causes of and treatments for oral odor. That’s because bad breath occasionally generates some seriously weird research.

Consider everyone’s favorite new study: Recently, researchers at the UK’s University of Cranfield partnered with French fromage experts in order to find the world’s stinkiest cheeses. After sniffing and eating samples from dozens of candidates (and presumably, getting some of the worst halitosis on Earth), the judges declared a winner – Vieux Boulogne, a French cheese with a rind soaked in beer. The variety is so smelly that it beat out Pont l’Eveque (known to stain entire fridges with its scent) and Camembert (a cheese affectionately nicknamed “God’s Feet”).

And if nose-based judging is a little too subjective for your taste, you’re in luck. Researchers later verified their findings by using a specially equipped electronic sensor. Once again, Vieux Boulogne reigned supreme as the King of Oral Odor.

If you think that cheese-based scientific inquiry is a bit unusual, wait until you get a load of a study published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology. In it, a pair of dental hygienists from Hebrew University theorized that we might be able to use blue light to kill bad breath.

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Yes, you read that title correctly, and no, this article is not about zombies. If you’ve been following this blog even semi-regularly, you know that the mouth, nose and throat can be subject to some strange infections, many of which lead to post-nasal drip, throat pain or bad breath. But quite possibly the strangest pathogen we’ve heard of recently can be spread by improperly used neti pots. It’s called Naegleria fowleri, and it literally eats human brains.

According to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (LDHH), two of the state’s residents recently died after getting infected with N.fowleri. This microorganism, known as the so-called “brain-eating amoeba,” is usually found in warm bodies of fresh water. According to experts at Stanford University, it is rare to be infected by this protist. However, those who do get infected – always through the nose – have a 98 percent mortality rate.

So how did N. fowleri get up the noses of the two unfortunate patients who made headlines this month? According to the LDHH, both people used neti pots filled with unclean water.

If you’ve never heard of them, neti pots are small, tea-kettle-like ceramic pots that are used to clean nasal passages, with the intent of eliminating sinus buildup and post-nasal drip. Using one is supposed to be as simple as loading it with water and pouring it in one nostril. However, this cheap method of sinus irrigation can obviously lead to problems.

To treat post-nasal drip without risking having your brains eaten, consider using a specialty device, like the Hydropulse Nasal-Sinus Irrigator, with distilled or sterile water. That way, you can clear your sinuses, reduce your halitosis and keep your gray matter intact!