Bacteria Against Bad Breath

Filed in archive Microbiology on July 26, 2005

With this entry, I am introducing a new category, one that should have been the first in my list, being a microbiologist and all: Microbial Biotechnology. This category will include all biotech breakthroughs and products arising from microorganisms.

Back to the title of this entry: What causes bad breath in the first place anyway? Smelly, highly reactive 'one-carbon' compounds such as dimethylsulfide are naturally produced from the breakdown of sulphur-containing amino acids in the mouth, thereby producing bad breath.

So how could you get rid of these compounds? In an article published in Environmental Microbiology, researchers were able to isolate methylotrophic bacteria, i.e. microorganisms which subsist from one-carbon compounds, from the tongue, tooth plaques (supra-gingival plaques) and gum edge (sub-gingival plaques) of volunteers. They include strains of Bacillus, Brevibacterium casei, Hyphomicrobium sulfonivorans, Methylobacterium, Micrococcus luteus and Variovorax paradoxus. Although the researchers found no qualitative difference between strains of bacteria found in the mouths of healthy volunteers and those suffering from progressive gum disease (periodontitis), no assessment was made of the levels of methylotrophic bacteria present, low levels of which may be associated with bad breath.

What's next? Let me guess: Probiotic toothpaste and mouthwash?