Helicobacter pylori associated with glossitis and halitosis.

Background: Helicobacter pylori is a curved microaerophilic Gram-negative bacterium considered as a risk factor for gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to find an association between burning sensations, acid taste, halitosis, and lingual hyperplasia with the effect of H. pylori on the mouth.

Materials And Methods: A total of 124 subjects with different gastric diseases were studied: 46 patients with burning, halitosis and lingual dorsum hyperplasia and 78 patients with other diseases.

Results: The detection of H. pylori in the oral cavity by histopathologic diagnosis and molecular biology was confirmed in 40/46 (87%) patients with burning, halitosis, and lingual hyperplasia, and in 2/78 (2.6%) subjects with other diseases. Chi2: 91.26 (p < .001) Mantel-Haenszel.

Conclusion: This trial showed an association between H. pylori and burning, halitosis, and lingual hyperplasia, and further considered this bacterium a risk factor for gastric infection.