Evaluation of the use of a peppermint mouth rinse for halitosis by girls studying in Tehran high schools

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Oral malodor is one of the most common complaints among dental patients. It often creates serious personal and social embarrassment for the afflicted individual. Therefore, a dentist must be able to diagnose the etiology of halitosis and treat it or refer an individual to a specialist. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of halitosis and the effect of a peppermint mouth rinse on it. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was performed in two steps. At the first step, in a cross-sectional study, 504 students who were 14–18 years old were examined to define the students who suffered from halitosis, and then at the second step, the selected 84 students with halitosis were divided into two groups randomly. A total of 43 students in group 1 received a peppermint mouth rinse and 41 students in another group were given placebo. The students in two groups washed their mouth with 15–20 ml of the given solutions three times in a 1-week period (after breakfast, after lunch or on returning to home, before sleeping) and didn’t eat anything for 30 min after rinsing. After 1 week, the students were examined again. RESULTS: The prevalence of halitosis was 24.4% totally. In the mouth rinse group, after 1 week 23 students didn’t exhibit halitosis, and 11 students in the placebo group were halitosis positive. A chi-square test showed that this difference was significant. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study, it can be said that a peppermint mouth rinse can reduce halitosis.