The Additional Effect of Tongue Scraping on Halitosis Parameters in Initial Periodontal Therapy

Inclusion criteria

• Voluntary written informed consent of the participant or their legally authorized representative has been obtained prior to any screening procedures
• Males or females American Society of Anesthesiologist classification I of II,
• 18 years of age or older,
• In good general health as documented by self-assessment
• Suffer from generalised periodontitis (according to 2018 classification)
• Suffer from halitosis with suspected intra-oral cause: organoleptic score (OLS) of 2 or higher by an experienced oral malodour judge
• At least one volatile sulphur compounds(VSCs) measurement above the following thresholds:

• Portable sulphur detector (Halimeter) > 107 ppb
• Oral Chroma™: hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) > 112ppb
• Oral Chroma™: methyl mercaptan (CH3SH) >28ppb

Exclusion criteria

• Participant has a history of chemotherapy or radiotherapy in head and neck area
• Any disorder, which in the Investigator's opinion might jeopardise the participant's safety or compliance with the protocol
• Any prior or concomitant treatment(s) that might jeopardise the participant's safety or that would compromise the integrity of the Trial
• Female who is pregnant, breast-feeding or has the intention of becoming pregnant in the following 6 months
• Participation in another interventional Trial with an investigational medicinal product (IMP) or device
• Recent intake of antibiotics (3 months prior to the first consultation)
• Antibiotics indicated as part of the periodontal treatment
• Use of antibiotics during the course of the study
• Suffer from halitosis with suspected extra-oral cause
• Suffer from a systemic disease that could cause extra-oral halitosis (e.g. diabetes mellitus, liver or kidney failure, trimethylaminuria)
• Participant has a history of rheumatic fever, neurological deficiencies, or use of medication which may affect periodontal tissue, (phenytoin, cyclosporin, nifedipine, chronic use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
• Presence of active caries lesions
• Unwillingness to return for the follow-up examination
• Wear partial prosthetic dentures removables
• Participant has less than 20 teeth