It is now generally accepted that the volatile
sulfur compounds (VSCs)
hydrogen sulfide, methyl
mercaptan and
dimethyl sulfide are the main contributors to
halitosis when of oropharyngeal origin. Gas chromatography using a specific
sulfur detector is the most appropriate method to detect
halitosis of different origin (intra-oral and extra-oral
halitosis) and should be considered as the gold standard. However, a gas chromatograph is an expensive apparatus and needs trained personnel. The less specific Halimeter is the most used apparatus in
halitosis research. In this study a newly developed portable gas chromatograph, the OralChroma™ (Abilit Corporation, Japan), was evaluated for use in the field of
halitosis. The results show that the OralChroma is a very sensitive apparatus for measuring VSCs. Just like standard gas chromatography, it can perfectly differentiate between intra-oral and extra-oral blood-borne
halitosis, while the Halimeter can only detect intra-oral
halitosis. The hardware of the OralChroma meets all the needs for becoming the apparatus of choice in the field of
halitosis. However, the software needs a major revision. Sometimes, the concentrations given for the different VSCs are completely incorrect due to a wrong assignment of the place of the VSCs in the chromatogram.