The portable gas chromatograph OralChroma™: a method of choice to detect oral and extra-oral halitosis

It is now generally accepted that the volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan and dimethyl sulfide are the main contributors to halitosis when of oropharyngeal origin. Gas chromatography using a specific sulfur detector is the most appropriate method to detect halitosis of different origin (intra-oral and extra-oral halitosis) and should be considered as the gold standard. However, a gas chromatograph is an expensive apparatus and needs trained personnel. The less specific Halimeter is the most used apparatus in halitosis research. In this study a newly developed portable gas chromatograph, the OralChroma (TM) (Abilit Corporation, Japan), was evaluated for use in the field of halitosis. The results show that the OralChroma is a very sensitive apparatus for measuring VSCs. Just like standard gas chromatography, it can perfectly differentiate between intra-oral and extra-oral blood-borne halitosis, while the Halimeter can only detect intra-oral halitosis. The hardware of the OralChroma meets all the needs for becoming the apparatus of choice in the field of halitosis. However, the software needs a major revision. Sometimes, the concentrations given for the different VSCs are completely incorrect due to a wrong assignment of the place of the VSCs in the chromatogram.