Self-Perceived Halitosis in La, a Suburb of Accra, Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Many individuals, irrespective of their age, sex and social status suffer from halitosis. There is very little evidence, however, of the disease burden in Ghana. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated factors of self-perceived halitosis in La, a suburb in Accra. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among adults in La. The main outcome variable was self-perceived halitosis. Other variables collected included the socio-demographic characteristics (age, sex, occupation category, education), previous visit to a dentist, and previous/current consumption of alcohol. Background characteristics for all respondents were described, and summaries for variables reported. Cross-tabulations were done to explore the factors related to self-perceived halitosis. RESULTS: A total of 324 participants were involved in the study. This consisted of 165 males (51%) and 159 females (49%). The mean age of the entire population was 41.2±14.9 years. The prevalence of self-perceived halitosis among the study population was 18%, while halitosis was found to be significantly distributed among persons with bleeding gums (p=0.007) and those who poorly rated their oral hygiene (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Halitosis is a source of concern to a considerable number of inhabitants of La. Education in this regard is therefore essential in promoting awareness and better oral health practices.