Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; VicREN Victorian Primary Care Research and Education Network, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Melbourne Dental School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Int Dent J. 2021 Aug;71(4):316-320. doi: 10.1016/j.identj.2020.12.009. Epub 2021 Feb 18.
Halitosis is common and can have a significant impact on quality of life. It is attributed to both intraoral and extraoral causes. Although halitosis treatment depends on the aetiology, little is known about consumers' perception of halitosis causes and the types of assistance sought. The Say Ahhh Study aimed to explore the interprofessional care for halitosis and improve understanding by the general public. Phase 1 explored the perceptions of health care providers. This article reports the findings of Phase 2, which explored the general public's knowledge of halitosis, its management, and help-seeking behaviour.
Patients and clients at 2 medical clinics, 3 dental clinics, and 2 pharmacies in Melbourne and rural Victoria were approached and invited to participate in a short semistructured interview. Qualitative data was thematically analysed.
A total of 122 participants (54 males, 66 females, 2 missing) were interviewed. Participants' past experience with halitosis influences their understanding of the cause. Halitosis was attributed mostly to poor oral hygiene and diet and less commonly to systemic disease. Their perception of the condition's severity influenced whether they seek professional help. Their perceived roles of health professionals and ease of access influenced their choice of health professionals to seek help from.
The Victorian general public is aware of the causes of halitosis and the available treatment options. Choice of treatment and help-seeking behaviour are influenced by experience, perceived severity of the condition, and perceived role of health professionals and their accessibility.
口臭很常见，会对生活质量产生重大影响。它归因于口腔内和口腔外的原因。尽管口臭的治疗取决于病因，但人们对消费者对口臭原因的看法以及寻求帮助的类型知之甚少。Say Ahhh 研究旨在探索口臭的跨专业护理，并提高公众的认识。第 1 阶段探讨了医疗保健提供者的看法。本文报告了第 2 阶段的研究结果，该阶段探讨了公众对口臭的认识、管理和寻求帮助的行为。
在墨尔本和维多利亚农村的 2 家医疗诊所、3 家牙科诊所和 2 家药店，向患者和客户提出并邀请他们参加简短的半结构式访谈。对定性数据进行了主题分析。
共有 122 名参与者（54 名男性，66 名女性，2 名缺失）接受了采访。参与者过去对口臭的经历影响了他们对口臭原因的理解。口臭主要归因于口腔卫生不良和饮食不当，较少归因于系统性疾病。他们对病情严重程度的看法影响了他们是否寻求专业帮助。他们对口腔卫生保健专业人员的角色和就诊便利性的看法影响了他们选择寻求帮助的口腔卫生保健专业人员。
维多利亚州的普通公众了解口臭的原因和可用的治疗方法。治疗方法的选择和寻求帮助的行为受到经历、对病情严重程度的看法以及对口腔卫生保健专业人员及其便利性的看法的影响。
