# Do germs cause bad breath?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-germs-cause-bad-breath/483368>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 28, 2009, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-germs-cause-bad-breath/483368 "2009-01-28T07:38:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Hombre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecb155/32.png) [@Hombre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hombre)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-germs-cause-bad-breath/483368/1 "2009-01-28T07:38:57Z")

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Do germs cause bad breath?  
And if so, does mouthwash kill them?

Or is mouthwash just a cover up?

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**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-germs-cause-bad-breath/483368/2 "2009-01-28T08:53:25Z")

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Wiki on [halitosis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halitosis).

Basically, bad breath is caused by bacteria feeding on food debris in the mouth.

Mouthwashes both mask the odour, help rinse out the food debris, and kill some bacteria. However, the bacteria can be remarkably persistent, and a combination of tongue scraping, dental brushing and flossing in conjunction with mouthwash is most effective.

Sinus lavage (neti pot) can also help in some extreme cases.

Si

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**Author:** ![Nancarrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c37758/32.png) [@Nancarrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nancarrow)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-germs-cause-bad-breath/483368/3 "2009-01-28T10:30:26Z")

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[Huh?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=503776)

(reported)