Bad breath in the elderly refers to the gas with various odors exhaled through the mouth. Common reasons are as follows:
1. Poor oral hygiene Elderly people with chronic diseases who are bedridden for a long time, lack oral exercise, resulting in dry mouth and bad breath; some elderly people who love to smoke will not only exhale unpleasant odors, but also reduce saliva secretion, aggravating bad breath;
2. Most of the elderly wear dentures. If they do not clean their dentures frequently or take out their dentures during sleep, they are prone to odor.
3. Oral diseases such as periodontal disease, periodontal discharge, oral ulcers, dental caries, food impaction, etc. also often cause bad breath.
4. Nasopharyngeal diseases Maxillary sinusitis, atrophic rhinitis, nasal polyps, hypertrophic rhinitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, etc. can also cause bad breath.
5. The systemic disease diabetic ketoacidosis can produce “apple-like” halitosis; patients with chronic renal insufficiency or uremia, the breath has ammonia smell and urine-like halitosis; gastrointestinal dysfunction and gastrointestinal bleeding It can also cause bad breath.
So, how to prevent it?
1. Pay attention to oral hygiene and treat periodontal disease;
2. Elderly people who wear dentures should clean their dentures after eating, take off their dentures every night, soak them in water, and wash them regularly with dentures;
3. Elderly people who are bedridden for a long time can be given oral cleaning several times a day;
4. Chewing gum to move the masticatory muscles, tongue and cheeks, increase saliva flow, help to remove food residues, reduce saliva stagnation and spoilage, and increase the self-cleaning effect of the mouth;
5. Patients with bad breath caused by dry mouth can use carboxymethyl fiber to moisten the mouth without any adverse reactions.
