JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY - Feb 2003
To read the complete study you can click on this Bad Breath and Halitosis Link

Extracts from the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, Feb 2003, p. 558-563 Authors: CE Kazor, PM Mitchell, AM Lee, LN Stokes, WJ Loesche, FE Dewhirst, BJ Paster.

"The purpose of the study was to compare the bacteria profiles of the tongue of healthy subjects and subjects with halitosis by using culture-independent molecular methods.

Tongue scrapings were analyzed from healthy subjects with no complaints of halitosis and subjects with halitosis. Those species most associated with healthy subjects were Streptococcus salivarius, Rothia mucilaginosa, and an a species of Eubacterium (strain FTB41). Streptococcus salivarius was the predominant species in healthy subjects, as it represented 12 to 40% of the total clones analyzed from each healthy subject.

Overall, the predominant bacteria on the tongue of healthy subjects was different from that on the tongue of subjects with halitosis. Those species most associated with halitosis were Atopobium parvulum, Eubacterium sulci, Solobacterium moorei."

We have summarized the results in an easy to read table below.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

It is noteworthy that S.salivarius was by far the most predominant species detected in healthy subjects: in one subject (subject H1), S. salivarius represented more than 40% of the detectable species. In contrast, S. salivarius was detected in only one of the subjects with halitosis and was detected at very low levels.

CONCLUSION

Whilst this study was being done by Dr Loesche in USA, Professor Tagg was doing a totally independent study in Otago, New Zealand. Both microbiologists came up with the same results and same conclusions.

Streptococcus salivarius is a normal bacteria of the mouth that incubates the subject at day one of birth. In healthy subjects, normal counts of Streptococcus salivarius is obtained. However in chronically sick people or people with chronic halitosis, Streptococcus salivarius is missing.