Causes and treatment of bad breath in a child

The unpleasant smell from a mouth at the child cannot but excite its parents. After all, this phenomenon does not always have relatively harmless reasons related to lack of hygiene or food eaten the day before. Sometimes this kid needs a full medical examination that will help identify the cause and eliminate it. About why a child can smell unpleasantly from the mouth, we will discuss in this article.

A strong unpleasant fetid odor from the mouth is called “halitosis” in medicine. This concept does not imply any one particular disease. This is a whole range of problems with the human body that can cause the rapid growth of anaerobic microbes, which create this “flavor”.

If a child smells badly from his mouth, this is not always a signal that the problem lies in the poor health of the oral cavity. "Problems" can be caused by "failures" in the ENT organs, and in the digestive system, and in the kidneys. Thus, the root causes of bad breath can be quite diverse, and the mechanism is always the same. In the mouth of a healthy child, aerobic microbes live and develop. Their task is to prevent the development of anaerobic "brothers", which include streptococci, E. coli and a number of other microorganisms.

Anaerobic (fetid) bacteria feed on protein deposits on the tongue, teeth, gums, and during reproduction they release volatile sulfur and non-sulfur compounds. Depending on which compound will be formed, depends on what will smell from the mouth:

• methyl mercaptan - the simplest gas that gives the smell of rotten cabbage and feces;
• allyl mercaptan - colorless gas, which forms the smell of garlic;
• hydrogen sulfide - gas with a sweet smell, giving the smell of rotten eggs, feces;

• dimethyl sulfide - gas compound, which gives a pronounced chemical smell of sulfur or gasoline;
• putrescine - organic compound that gives the smell of rotting meat;
• dimethylamine - compound, causing the smell of fish and ammonia;
• isovaleric acid - a compound that explains the smell of sweat, spoiled milk.

There are about two dozen of such compounds, and their chemical compositions and features do not have practical use for parents. After all, the main task is to find the source of distribution of anaerobic microbes.

The reasons why a child has bad breath can be physiological and pathological. In the first case, we can talk about:

• hygiene violation - not thorough cleaning of teeth and gums, rinsing the mouth;
• food features - offensive breath becomes due to the products that the child eats (garlic can spoil exhaled air even a day after eating it, and the onion smell lasts up to 8 hours);
• small sores and mouth soresdue to natural causes (teething, for example).

The list of pathological causes is more extensive, it includes various ENT diseases, diseases of the dental plan and problems with the digestive organs:

• caries, stomatitis, periodontal disease, etc.
• pathologies of the upper respiratory tract (chronic or prolonged rhinitis, adenoiditis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, tonsillitis, angina);
• lower respiratory tract diseases (bronchitis, tracheitis, pneumonia);

• diseases of the digestive system (gastritis, gastric ulcer, enzyme deficiency, which leads to impaired digestion);
• diabetes;
• kidney disease, renal failure;
• malignant tumors and tumors of the internal organs.

Non-specific causes deserve special attention. Often children have an unpleasant smell from the mouth, not only because there is a certain disease. The smell can have psychosomatic causes - severe stress, fear, fear, prolonged psychological experiences. Another reason parents should be aware of is disturbances in the surrounding microclimate. If the baby breathes too dry air, the mucous membranes of the nose and oropharynx dry up, as a result of which aerobic microbes cannot effectively resist anaerobic and an unpleasant smell from the mouth appears.

If a child eats irregularly, skips meals, the smell can be the smell of food that is not fully digested in the stomach, and rises up through the esophagus. This does not mean that the child has digestive disorders, in this case the smell is a signal for parents to establish proper and rational nutrition. Most often in children, smells from the mouth become the result of gastroesophageal reflux that is very common in childhood. When they are thrown back part of the food into the esophagus. This problem is age-related, and in most cases successfully “overgrown” by babies.

Popular rumor often attributes the appearance of bad breath to such a reason as parasites in the body of a baby. Official medicine has not yet revealed any reasonable connection between worms and halitosis. Many children with an unpleasant odor do not have parasitic diseases, in their feces do not find any traces of worms.

Some pathologies in their symptoms have unpleasant and characteristic symptoms of halitosis. So, there are smells that must alert parents, and make them immediately visit a pediatrician:

• Acetone. Acetone from the mouth of a child may smell because of the development of diabetes. And if a child has an unpleasant acetone odor on the background of high temperature, then this may indicate the development of acetonemic syndrome. The faint smell of acetone can accompany periods of starvation.
• Rotting Putrid odor appears when complicated caries, with serious dental problems. If there are none, then you should definitely examine the child at a children's gastroenterologist, since the smell of rotting meat often accompanies diseases of the stomach, duodenum, pancreas. It is characteristic that he appears at the very initial stage of ailments.

• Sweetish smell. A pronounced sweet smell with sugary shades may indicate a purulent process. It usually develops in the nasopharynx, mouth, throat. Such a smell can occur in a child with angina, bacterial rhinitis, adenoids. If the ENT doctor does not find pathologies, you must show the child to the gastroenterologist who examines the baby’s liver. Some liver pathologies are accompanied by the appearance of a sharp sweet smell from the mouth.
• Sour smell. The appearance of a pronounced sour smell can indicate the presence of a child's reflux.In infants such odor may occur frequently, as a reaction of the body to the introduction of complementary food, to the mixture change. In this case, the smell is a certain shade of sour milk. Sour smell in children in 2-3 years always speaks of problems with the stomach. Survey required.

• The smell of ammonia. This smell appears during periods of severe illness associated with intoxication of the body. If the smell was not preceded by a disease, it should be especially wary - the ammonia smell with a sharp manifestation often accompanies kidney disease, the development of renal failure. Weak ammonia smell can talk about the development of diabetes.
• Yeast Smell. Fresh yeast from the mouth of the child can smell because of candidiasis. Fungi of this family, multiplying, emit a specific smell.

• The smell of rotten eggs. This smell usually appears in diseases of the stomach and intestines. Sometimes it resembles the smell of feces. Symptom requires a mandatory examination by a gastroenterologist.
• The smell of iodine. Typical for this antiseptic scent in children usually appears due to oversaturation of the body with iodine. This substance tends to accumulate, and therefore, if a nursing mother takes iodine preparations, and the same substance is contained in complementary foods (in a mixture, for example), a corresponding odor can appear from the mouth of a small child. In children over 10 years old, the appearance of iodized odor may indicate iodine intolerance.
• Metallic smell. The smell of metal from the mouth of a child may indicate the presence of illnesses associated with the occurrence and development of anemia.

Parents need to watch carefully to understand what else, in addition to the smell from the mouth, has changed in the child. All internal diseases usually have additional symptoms and signs:

• With a sour smell, it is important to make sure that the child does not have heartburn, it does not bother the stomach, he is all right with the chair. And with hydrogen sulfide "aroma", it is imperative to make sure that the child has belching, nausea, and vomiting often occurs.
• With a bitter smell you need to examine the tongue and oral cavity of the baby for the presence of yellow or grayish plaque, which is characteristic of many pathologies of the liver and gallbladder. When an acetone or ammonia odor appears, you need to measure the temperature of the baby, collect urine for analysis and after that go to the clinic.

Sometimes the smell from the mouth is an artificial problem. Excessively impressionable moms and grandmothers find him where he really is not.

There are homemade tests for halitosis. The first is carried out with a spoon. Using the handle of the cutlery, gently take a little bloom from the child's tongue and evaluate it for smell. The second implies the ability of saliva to "absorb" odors. The child is asked to lick the wrist and wait until the saliva dries, and then evaluate its smell. Both methods are quite subjective.

More details about the presence of smell and its probable causes can tell the doctor, after conducting an accurate medical test for halitosis. The study is called halimetry. It includes a simple procedure - the child will be asked to exhale into a special device, and the analysis of exhaled air will show whether there is hydrogen sulfide, sulfur and non-sulfur compounds in it. The entire study takes no more than fifteen minutes. When establishing bad breath, the doctor can take samples of plaque from the tongue and inner surface of the cheeks for bacteriological examination. Samples of the baby’s saliva will be sent to the laboratory in a sterile container.

Parents will be given directions to visit specialists such as a children's dentist (dentist), an otolaryngologist, a gastroenterologist, a nephrologist. The dentist will examine and reorganize the oral cavity.If sick teeth or gums are detected, the baby will immediately receive the necessary treatment. ENT will assess the condition of the tonsils, nasopharynx, larynx. In case of detection of diseases, prescribe adequate therapy. The gastroenterologist will do an ultrasound of the abdominal organs, and, if necessary, endoscopy with an obligatory sampling for the analysis of gastric juice for acidity (especially with a sour odor from the mouth). The nephrologist on the basis of urine analysis will make a conclusion about the state of the excretory system of the child.

To get the most reliable result, one day prior to a visit to a doctor, a child does not need to give products containing sulfur compounds - garlic and onions, as well as spicy foods.

Treatment of halitosis should be based on the treatment of the cause, which caused bad breath, since there is absolutely no sense in dealing with the effect without eliminating the cause. Usually, treatment for bad breath includes general and particular recommendations. Common concerns for all reasons. Private - relevant when the underlying disease is detected.

General recommendations:

• The child must brush their teeth properly. This should be done not immediately after the baby woke up, but after breakfast, and then in the evening after dinner, just before bedtime. The brush should be comfortable, moderately stiff, having a special “platform” for cleaning the tongue and cheeks. Show your child how to use it properly. Children from 6-7 years old during the evening teeth cleaning may well use a special device - dental floss, since only a brush is not enough to thoroughly clean the oral cavity from small particles of food and protein deposits.
• Upon reaching the age of one year, the child may begin to use children's toothpastes. They are created taking into account the fact that the peanut can swallow them and does not cause any harm to the health of the child.

• All dental problems must be identified and treated in a timely manner.therefore, a child should be taken at least once a year, and preferably two, to be taken to the dentist for an examination and rehabilitation of the oral cavity.
• Make your breath fresh helps proper nutrition. The formation of protein deposits on the tongue, gums and teeth is promoted by sugar, sweets and pastries. But fresh fruits and vegetables, on the contrary, help to clean the mouth and promote normal digestion. Dairy products must be present in the child's diet - they contribute to the formation of proper digestive function.

• It is important to attach great importance to the problem of bad breath from a mouth in adolescence. At this time, when at the hormonal level the body undergoes a significant restructuring, such a problem may occur, especially in girls, especially during menstruation. In this case, oral hygiene procedures should be carried out with the use of special therapeutic dental products - gels, pastes, rinses.
• The correct microclimate also plays a huge role in oral health. The child should not breathe dry and dusty air. To do this, it is recommended to buy a humidifier and set it at the level of 50-70%. With this moisture, saliva is produced in sufficient quantities, its antiseptic properties are at a high level, it can easily cope with bacteria that enter the oral cavity.

Common methods:

• A strange smell from the mouth caused by the diseaseusually disappears as the child is cured of the underlying pathology. Drugs in this case are prescribed by the doctor depending on the diagnosis established during the examination.
• In some cases, dental gels are used as such for the treatment of halitosis. ("Metrogil-dent", for example). Children do not use alcohol-based products for rinsing. For rinsing, you can use a drug such as "Chlorhexidine Solution". Young patients are recommended to rinse their mouths with chamomile decoction (ready-made dried preparations are sold at any pharmacy). The smell of medicinal herbs effectively eliminates unpleasant bad breath. And adolescents can use antiseptics, such as Aseptu.

• Means "Triclosan" which has long been considered an excellent oral antiseptic for the whole family, children are not recommended to give, because recent studies in the field of medicine have shown that the drug increases the risk of developing allergies.
• Effective antiseptic "Celitpyridine" exists in the form of lozenges. They can be given to children from 6 years. But the tool "Camfomen" - a combined drug for irrigation of the oral cavity and inhalation, helps well, but for children under 5 years old to use it is not recommended.

• Folk remedies as an independent treatment of halitosis cannot act, and therefore it is better to refuse them. With the permission of the attending physician, you can use only some recipes from the arsenal of alternative medicine - herbal gargles with chamomile, lemon balm, mint.

Measures for the prevention of fetid, unpleasant breathing consist in an integrated approach:

• proper oral hygiene, teeth, mouth rinse after each meal;
• timely visits to doctors and adequate treatment of diseases of the ears, throat and nose, stomach, intestines, kidneys, as well as systemic allergies;
• balanced diet;
• immunity strengthening, vitamin therapy.

Dr. Komarovsky will tell about the main reasons for the appearance of an unpleasant smell in the next video. You can learn the recommendations of Dr. Komarovsky with the smell from the mouth of a child from another article.