Clark小姐及其同事对21名患有长期口臭的人和36名没有相关问题的人进行的对比研究发现，21名口臭患者的口腔中均含有Solobacterium moorei细菌，而另外的36人中仅有4人的口腔中有Solobacterium moorei细菌。这4个有Solobacterium moorei细菌感染、但没有口臭的人都患有严重的牙周炎，而细菌对于牙龈的感染也有可能导致慢性发展的口臭。

在此前进行的一项对8名口臭患者和5名没有口臭的人进行的研究中发现，Solobacterium moorei细菌“总是存在于所有口臭患者的口腔内，而在其他没有口臭人的口腔中未被发现，”同时参与了这两项研究的Violet I. Haraszthy博士说。“大量其他研究也在口臭患者的口腔内发现了这种细菌。”Haraszthy博士指出，目前，“人们对于这种细菌的了解并不多。随着我们确定并找出更多能引起口臭的细菌，我们就能够研制出治疗方法以减少它们在口腔中的数量，”Clark在一所大学发表的声明中补充道。

研究还发现，用抗菌的牙膏每天刷2次牙齿，并使用带有舌苔刷的专用牙刷刷舌头表面，可以有助于消除长期的口臭。

英文原文：

Bad breath caused by single bug

Solobacterium moorei is the organism largely responsible for chronic bad breath, or halitosis, biologists reported at the annual meeting of the American Association for Dental Research in Dallas, USA.

Persistent bad breath, which can be very embarrassing, is often caused by the breakdown of bacteria in the mouth, producing foul-smelling sulphur compounds that reside on the surface of the tongue. “Tongue bacteria produce malodorous compounds and fatty acids, and account for 80 to 90 per cent of all cases of bad breath,” said Ms Betsy Clark, a student at the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine. Some cases of bad breath originate in the lungs or sinuses.

In a study of 21 people with chronic bad breath and 36 subjects without this problem, Ms Clark and colleagues found S. moorei in every patient that had halitosis compared with only four comparison subjects. The four people without halitosis infected with S. moorei all had periodontitis, an infection of the gums that can also lead to chronically bad breath.

In a previous study of eight patients with halitosis and five without, S. moorei was “always found in patients with halitosis and never in patients who did not have this problem,” Dr Violet I. Haraszthy, who was involved in both studies. “A number of other studies have also found this bacterium in halitosis patients.” Dr Haraszthy point out that, at present, “not much is known about this particular organism. As we identify and find out more about the bacteria that cause bad breath, we can develop treatments to reduce their numbers in the mouth,” Ms Clark added in a university-issued statement.

The studies also found that brushing twice a day with antibacterial toothpaste and using a toothbrush with a built-in tongue scraper can eliminate chronic bad breath.