Purpose: In the pediatric population, mouth breathing can cause obstruction, congestion and other upper-respiratory tract diseases. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between halitosis and mouth breathing in the pediatric population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from February to April 2023. It included 232 children aged between 2– 6 years from specialized clinics of pediatric dentistry in Saudi Arabia. The study sample was categorized in two groups such as nasal and mouth breathers. Breathing patterns were identified using clinical examination, mirror testing and water-in-mouth test under the supervision of an otolaryngologist. Breath Alertt TM device and Halimeter were used for the assessment of Halitosis. Data were analyzed using Chi-square and binary logistic regression, as effect size measures, with p-values (< 0.05) considered as statistically significant. Results: Out of 232 participants, 115 were males (49.6%) and 117 (50.4%) were females. In terms of breathing patterns, 111 (47.8%) individuals were classified as mouth breathers, whereas 121 (52.2%) primarily used nasal breathing. Findings revealed no significant relationship between gender and breathing pattern (p = 0.191) nor between gender and halitosis in mouth breathers (χ 2 = 0.035, p = 0.852) or nasal breathers (χ 2 = 0.001, p = 0.972). However, breathing patterns and halitosis were found to be significantly related (χ 2 = 10.466, p = 0.001). The results showed that (n = 62) 59.6% of the participants who were mouth breathers experienced halitosis, in contrast to (n = 42) 40.4% of nasal breathers. Further, the effect size confirmed that mouth breathers were more likely to experience halitosis than nasal breathers (OR = 2.37, 95% CI: 1.395– 4.039, p = 0.001). Conclusion: Mouth breathers are more prone to develop halitosis as compared to the nasal breathers. Keywords: halitosis, mouth breathing, pediatric, nasal breathers, gender, oral health
Sarah Ahmed Bahammam (2026) studied this question.