Experts in bad breath from as far as Europe and Australia
will converge on UBC Aug. 22-23 when the Faculty of Dentistry
hosts the Third International Conference on Breath Odor.
“Everything from the operation of malodor clinics to the
molecular aspects of the sense of smell will be presented,”
says Assoc. Dean Don Brunette, conference chair.
Previously believed to be only a cosmetic issue, bad breath
is now being taken seriously by researchers for two reasons,
says Dr. Edward Yen, dean of Dentistry.
“Not only dental problems, but gastro-intestinal, liver,
and lung problems can be diagnosed through breath analysis,”
Yen says.
The other reason is cultural.
“In this society, we’re very aware of cleanliness. For some
people, concern about bad breath amounts to a phobia.”
Yen says while breath testing devices and techniques are
becoming fashionable, most are not scientifically based and
are ethically questionable. Research will help establish their
effectiveness.
Vancouver was chosen as the site of this year’s conference
because of the University of British Columbia’s pioneering
research into the scientific aspects of breath odor.
Prof. Emeritus Joe Tonzetich began investigating oral malodor
when he joined the faculty in 1968. His work launched research
that has gained international recognition.
Along with four other faculty colleagues–oral biologists
Don Brunette, Douglas Waterfield, and Ken Yaegaki, and endontist
Jeff Coil–he’s currently studying the effects of one of bad
breath’s known culprits–sulphur compounds.
Speakers at the conference include gastro-enterologists as
well as psychiatrists. Over 200 dentists, doctors, nurses,
hygienists and public health workers are expected to attend
the gathering which is sponsored by corporations that include
Colgate-Palmolive, Church and Dwight, Unilever and Warner-Lambert.
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