A new disease? Halitophobia

A pervasive fear of having bad breath or an exaggerated fear of having halitosis. Some halitophobics avoid social activities and live in a state of self-enforced solitude.When dealing with the problem of halitosis or with the halitosis patient, it is important to distinguish between genuine halitosis and pseudo-halitosis.

Genuine halitosis can be verified when the breath malodor is an actual problem that can be easily diagnosed either by organoleptic or by physic-chemical processes. Pseudo-halitosis exists when the oral malodor does not exist; however, the patient is convinced that he or she has it.

If after successful treatment for either genuine halitosis or pseudo-halitosis, the patient still believes that he or she has halitosis, then the diagnosis is termed halitophobia.

This simple classification system includes corresponding treatment requirements and allows the clinician to differentiate between a pathological and a psychological condition.