HALITOX

Halitox  is a quick, simple test that detects both volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) such as hydrogen sulfide and methylmercaptan, as well as polyamines like putrescine and cadaverine.  VSCs smell like rotten eggs and polyamines smell like rotten flesh and both combine to impart a foul smell to breath.  In addition to being malodorous, these same waste products are known toxins.  Increased levels of these toxins are believed to play a part in the link between oral microorganisms and diseases such as heart disease and pre-term, low birth weight infants.  Odor-causing bacteria often reside on the dorsum of the tongue under a protective layer of saliva, mucus and food remains.  These protein rich materials provide an oxygen barrier as well as a ready source of food for anaerobic bacteria residing within the crevices (papillae) of the tongue.  Chronic oral malodor affects between 50 and 65% of the adult population.  Approximately half of these individuals experience a severe problem that creates personal discomfort and social embarrassment.  Over 25 million Americans alone are estimated to suffer from chronic bad breadth.  An individual with bad breath is rarely aware of it.  Unfortunately, you cannot detect your own mouth odor even when you exhale into your hand.  You usually only become aware that you have halitosis when you notice that individuals are avoiding you or when someone tells you.  All of us are susceptible at one time or another to halitosis.  Bad breath can come when you least expect it, and it tends to get worse and more frequent as you get older.

What's So Toxic About Bad Breath?:

Although most patients perceive halitosis as primarily a cosmetic problem, an increasing volume of evidence is demonstrating that extremely low concentrations of volatile sulfur compounds are highly toxic to tissues. Two members of this family, hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) and methyl mercaptan (CH₃SH), are primarily responsible for mouth odor. Although many bacteria produce H₂S, the production of CH₃SH, especially at high levels, is primarily restricted to periodontal pathogens. H₂S has been shown to inhibit the activity of a number of important enzymes including carbonic anhydrase and the Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase. Direct exposure to either of these metabolites adversely affects protein synthesis by human gingival fibroblasts in culture. However, methyl mercaptan has the greatest effect. Other in vitro experiments have demonstrated that cells exposed to methyl mercaptan synthesize less collagen, degrade more collagen, and accumulate collagen precursors which are poorly cross-linked and susceptible to proteolysis. CH₃SH also increases permeability of intact mucosa and stimulates production of cytokines which have been associated with periodontal disease. VSC, and in particular methyl mercaptan, are therefore capable of inducing deleterious changes in both the extracellular matrix and the local immune response of periodontal tissues to plaque antigens.

Procedure For Performing the Halitox:

A sterile cotton tipped applicator is used to take a sample from the dorsum of the tongue. After taking the sample, the cotton tip is quickly submersed in the reaction tube which is a 1.5 ml tube with a yellow screw cap and O-ring. The sample tube contains 0.1 ml (0.1 cc) of Halitox reagent. The Halitox reagent contains a mixture of chemical reagents which react with anaerobic bacterial metabolites to produce yellow colored reaction products. This buffered chemical reagent mixture will remain clear and colorless for a minimum of 8 months when left out at room temperature giving the Halitox a fairly long shelf life.

After taking the tongue scraping sample, the cotton tipped swab is simply inserted into the liquid reagent. Care must be taken to fully submerse the cotton tip in the reagent liquid. The wooded handle is then broken off at the top of the vial. The screw cap is then replaced and the reaction is allowed to proceed for a total of 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, the sample tube is then held up a color chart printed on the back of the Halitox package. This color chart is similar to the one used for the TOPAS I and contains 5 color scales ranging from clear (no toxins) to bright yellow (extreme level of toxins). The extreme level of toxins is based on the color change produced by 2 mM hydrogen sulfide.

HALITOX TESTING INFORMATION REQUEST FORM

Dentists and Physicians, please select the items that apply, and then let us know how to contact you.  Due to FDA restrictions, Halitox is only available for sell to trained health care professionals and not to the general public.