Pesquisa Apresentada no Japão
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Chemosensory Dysfunction X Imaginary Halitosis
C. Vieira, D. Falcão and S. Leal
Sometimes dentists receive patients, apparently healthy, complaining of oral malodor, which no one else perceives. When a clinical examination is carried out, volatile sulfur compounds are quantitatively done and also volatile organic compounds are qualitatively analyzed, neither bucal odor alteration nor bucal or systemic condidions are detected. In other words, oral malodor is not confirmed by such procedures. Consequently, these patients may be considered halitophobic. In scientific literature there are some reports about people who received the halitophobia diagnostic. However, reviewing the literature there are some findings, which broaden new diagnostic and treatment perspectives to handle with this kind of, issue that will be discussed. According to some studies (Bromley, Deems), patients may have difficulties to make difference between smell and taste and often confuse the concepts of taste and flavour. This misunderstanding may cause a believe of oral malodor. Although some Olfactory and gustatory dysfuncition may cause a damage in life quality and may be signalizing an underlying disease, medical community often overlooks them. As healthy promoters, dentists who dedicate to oral malodor treatment must seek for new data do tread, at least, to a possible diagnostic, which will be confirmed by a specific physician of such pathology. By this way, he will be taking care of the physical and emotional health of the patients, because these people who believe that they have halitosis, change their way of leaving dramatically. This change occurs not only due to their supposed oral malodor but also for not finding someone who believes that their complains are not imaginary.