Evaluation of oral malodour in left- and right-handed individuals

Abstract

Halitosis is a common social problem in the worldwide population. It is frequently associated with oral hygiene performance, so it may depend on the hand skill and cognitive ability of individuals. This study aimed to determine the relationship between handedness and pathologic oral halitosis. The study included a total of 1510 participants, and daily oral hygiene activities, hand preference, VSCs scores (volatile sulphur compounds) and clinical oral indices such as plaque index (PI) and tongue coating index (TCI) of each individual were recorded. Results of this study showed that there were no statistically significant differences between right- and left-handers (Groups I and II, respectively) according to age and oral hygiene practices. But it was found that PI and TCI were statistically higher in Group I with respect to Group II (Table 1). VSC scores, PI, and TCI were statistically higher in men compared to women (p<.01) (Table 2). There were statistically significant differences between women and men in the right-handed participant group (p<.01), while there were no statistically significant differences among the left-handers (p> .05) (Figure 1). Furthermore, statistically significant correlations were found between VSC scores and individual oral hygiene indices (p<.01) (Table 3). The lower halimetric values and clinical indices in left-handed individuals may be related with their oral healthcare and daily brushing habits. But unless detailed neurological investigations are undertaken, it cannot be suggested that the left-handers have better coordination and better-developed spatial abilities in oral hygiene procedures than the right-handers.

Keywords:

• Oral malodour
• Hand preference
• Volatile sulphur compounds
• Tongue brushing

Acknowledgements

The study was self-funded by the authors and our institution.