Bad breath –mauvaise haleine (French) – mal aliento (Spanish) – zły oddech (Polish) – alito cattivo (Italian) – κακή αναπνοή (Greek) – mundgeruch (German) – 口臭 (Japanese) – these are just a few examples of what this universal problem is called by our fellow worldwide sufferers.
As the saying goes, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. By any other name, or in any other language, halitosis is halitosis, right? 😉
Regardless of language, cuisine, location, lifestyle or ethnicity, bad breath in an international phenomenon! Here is a bit of news from across the globe about this sensitive subject:
- Germany: According to the foreign news service Der Standard, one in five Germans has bad breath. The news source quotes the Director of the Department of Periodontology at the University Hospital Munster, who said that 20 percent of his countrymen suffer from oral odor – and not just periodic odor but, as he put it, “permanent bad breath.”
- France: A study published in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery indicates that French people are also likely to have bad breath. The article estimated that between 50 and 60 percent of the French have halitosis! We can’t vouch for that, of course, so don’t kill the messenger!
- Japan: Rumor has it that the Japanese have invented a device so that people can check their own breath! Called the Etiquette Checker, it is made up of a small plastic stick with perforated holes at one end. All users have to do is breathe on the device and then receive a score from one to six.
- Israel: According to studies at Tel Aviv University, the sacred Talmud, which is the basis of Jewish law, cites halitosis as a major problem, even going so far at one point to say that in ancient times, bad breath could be a legitimate cause for divorce! Yikes!
Regardless of where you are or what you call it, the same causes of bad breath exist – poor diet, disease, respiratory problems, medication or poor dental hygiene. Be sure wherever you are to drink lots of water – eau – agua – woda – acqua – νερό – wasser – 水….and, be sure brush your teeth and use your TUNG Brush and Gel daily.
That will work in any language!
Ciao for now!
