Evaluation of Halitosis and its Risk Factors in Professional Fishermen in a Port Region

Abstract

Aim: Due to greater chance of deleterious habits and lack of proper dental hygiene, fishermen are a vulnerable population to halitosis. However, no studies on this topic in this population have been found. This study aims to observe the presence of halitosis and its risk factors in professional fishermen in a Port Region (Baixada Santista, SP, Brazil). Study Design: Observational study. Place and Duration of Study: Port region of Baixada Santista, SP, Brazil, between November 2022 and March 2023. Methodology: Twenty-one participants who work professionally as fishermen and 21 participants with similar characteristics of gender and age for the control group were selected. The Oral ChromaTM device was used to perform halimetry through gas chromatography and the KKCare portable device was also used to detect bad breath. Data on risk factors were collected in a clinical examination and submitted to descriptive statistical analysis. Data from OralChromaTM and KKCare were analyzed for normality using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Since the hypothesis of normality was rejected (p<0.001), the Mann-Whitney test and the Spearman correlation were used. Results: Although no statistically significant difference was verified between the groups in the halimetry tests, fishermen seem to have worse habits and oral conditions. Conclusion: There is a high need for the promotion of oral health in fishermen in consequence of the presence of bad habits and dental problems. This is the first study to assess halitosis in fishermen, and it shows the need for prevention of the risk factors in these workers.