Evaluation of oral and nasal odor in patients with and without cleft lip and palate: preliminary report.

Objective: To evaluate oral and nasal halitosis parameters in patients with and without clefts.

Design: Randomized and prospective study. Patients with and without clefts were evaluated as to oral and nasal halitosis.

Setting: University of São Paulo, Bauru Dental School and Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies, Bauru, Brazil.

Patients: Twelve patients with clefts and 12 without clefts were evaluated, and no exclusion criteria were followed.

Interventions: Nasal and oral halitosis were measured with the use of a portable sulfide monitor during a single visit.

Results: One hundred percent of the patients with clefts had altered values for volatile sulfur compounds. Only 33.3% of the patients without clefts had at least one strong value for nasal halimeter measurements, and 58.3% of these patients showed alteration in the nasal values. Statistical evaluation, made using the Mann-Whitney U test, classifying the nasal halimeter values as normal, weak, and strong, showing a statistical significant group difference (p = .003). There was no significant difference in the oral halimeter values between the two groups.

Conclusions: Patients with cleft lip and palate had a tendency to present higher values for the nasal halimeter measurements, when compared with patients without clefts.