Do I Have Bad Breath?

Afraid you're among the millions of Americans with bad breath? You
may have poor body image, rather than bad oral hygiene. Israeli
researchers have isolated a "bad breath paradox" in which people
convinced they suffer from bad breath actually have odor-free mouths,
while those with halitosis are blissfully unaware of their condition,
Liana Eli, D.M.D., and colleagues at Tel Aviv University collected three
year's worth of data pertaining to "bad breath worriers." The breath-odor
self-ratings of worriers were at odds with those of impartial odor
"judges." Worriers were more depressed and anxious than non-worriers,
whose self-perception of breath odor was objective.

"We found that this is a body image [problem]," says Eli, "like
somebody thinks he's fat or thin; tall or short. It does not necessarily
have anything to do with what he really looks like." Eli stresses that many
worriers seek dental help, when in fact they would probably be better
served visiting a psychotherapist.