Halitosis and olfactory dysfunction may disrupt an individual's quality of life remarkably. One may ask whether
halitosis has effects on olfactory functions or not? Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the olfactory abilities of subjects with chronic
halitosis evaluated using the measurements of volatile
sulfur compounds. This study was carried out in 77 subjects, with a mean age of 40.1±13.3 years, ranging from 18 to 65 years. Forty-three participants were diagnosed as
halitosis according to the gas chromatography results and constituted the
halitosis group. Also, a control group was created from individuals without a complaint of
halitosis and also who had normal values for volatile
sulfur compounds. Each subject's orthonasal olfactory and retronasal olfactory functions were assessed using "Sniffin' Sticks" and retronasal olfactory testing. The results showed that odor threshold scores were lower in participants with
halitosis compared with controls. Also,
hyposmia was seen more common in the
halitosis group than in controls. Moreover, a significant negative correlation was found between odor threshold scores and volatile
sulfur compounds levels, particularly with
hydrogen sulfide and
dimethyl sulfide levels. The results suggest that the chronic presence of volatile
sulfur compounds may have a negative effect on olfactory function.