Abstract:

Objective：To investigate the prevalence of volatile sulfur compounds(VSC) in oral cavity of preschool children, and to analyze related factors, thus to provide scientific basis for the prediction and treatment of halitosis. Methods:The VSC content (hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, dimethyl sulfide) of 170 preschool children (4 to 6 years old) was detected by a portable gas chromatograph OralChromaTM. The status of the oral health was evaluated. The living habits and other aspects were obtained through questionnaires from the children’s parents. A soft package for social statistics version 13.0 (SPSS 13.0) was used in which univariate analysis and multivariate analysis were utilized to analyze the related factors of halitosis in children. Results:In the study, 34.4% of the total subjects had excessive VSC. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) ［(1.59±2.41) ng/10 mL］ and total VSC concentration ［(2.14±4.42) ng/10 mL］ in the girls were significantly higher (P<0.05) than those in the boys. The tongue coating score had a significant positive correlation with H2S ［tongue coating area (1.68±2.48) ng/10 mL，tongue coating thickness (2.18±2.69) ng/10 mL］ and total VSC concentration ［tongue coating area, (2.26±4.31) ng/10 mL，tongue coating thickness (2.41±3.02) ng/10 mL , P<0.01］. The site number of DIS≥2 had a significant positive correlation with methyl mercaptan (CH3SH) and dimethyl sulfide ［(CH3)2S］ concentration (P<0.01). The concentration of H2S ［(1.19±1.62) ng/10 mL］ in children, whose mother had a higher degree of education, was statistically lower (P<0.01). The children who took dessert or sweat drinks more frequently had lower H2S ［(1.04±1.55) ng/10 mL, P<0.05］ concentration, while CH3SH and (CH3)2S concentration ［(0.29±1.92) ng/10 mL, (0.37±2.06) ng/10 mL, P<0.05) were higher in the children with mouth breath habit. Conclusion:A high prevalence of halitosis was noted in preschool children. Gender, tongue coating index, debris index-simplified, status of the mother’s education, frequency of eating dessert or sweat drinks and dry mouth breath were related with halitosis of preschool children. The different related factors resulted in changes of each VSC concentration.

Key words: Halitosis, Sulfur compounds, Tongue coating, Logistic models, Child