Published Online: Sep 21, 2023
Page range: 65 - 67
Received: Sep 01, 2023
Accepted: Sep 08, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jim-2023-0008
Keywords
© 2023 Alessandra-Aniela Cerghedi et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.
Introduction
Halitophobia is also known as false halitosis or psychosomatic halitosis. This pseudo-pathology originates from the somatization of the compulsive idea that the patient has bad breath in the absence of oral pathology.
Case Presentation
A patient addressed dental surgery complaining of a self-diagnosed halitosis. The dental consultation did not find any dental problem that could cause bad breath. She was referred to a general practitioner for further investigations to rule out a general condition. The investigations revealed a perfectly healthy person, without any chronic ailment that could cause bad breath. The patient refused to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist, considering that she does not have a mental health problem.
Conclusions
Patients with a suspicion of psychogenic halitosis require psychiatric counseling, and dentists have to be prepared with an efficient strategy for the correct management of these patients.