Bad breath in a child - when can changing the baby’s diet help? Bad breath in a child Sweetish bad breath in a child Komarovsky

The appearance of a specific odor from a child’s mouth is not as harmless a phenomenon as it might seem at first glance. It is important to find out whether it is a symptom of a serious illness.

The child has bad smell from the mouth: causes that do not require treatment

Most common reason Bad breath in a child is a lack of hygiene. It is also the most easily remedied: parents need to teach their child to brush their teeth properly and monitor regular hygiene procedures.

The health of a child is directly related to the quality of nutrition. If your diet contains too much protein or sweets, you may experience bad smell from mouth. The reason for this is the processes of decay in the intestines.

A specific smell may be the body’s reaction to a certain product. In this case, it will disappear after brushing the teeth, but may haunt the child the next day. Most often, bad breath remains after eating the following foods:

Garlic
Hard cheeses
Corn
Radish
Dairy
Sweet carbonated drinks.

Malfunctions of the digestive system against the background of normal nutrition are observed in children during periods of intensive growth. This is due to the fact that the internal organs do not have time to adapt to the rapidly changing skeleton. Typically, such problems arise at the ages of 6–7 and 10–12 years in girls and 4–6 and 13–16 years in boys. In this case, bad breath is a normal phenomenon that goes away on its own and does not require treatment.

Cause for concern

A healthy child's mouth contains a huge amount of bacteria. Some of them are not pathogenic bacteria– will never cause disease. Another group of bacteria - opportunistic - do not manifest themselves until favorable conditions for their reproduction appear. If the child’s immunity is weakened, the activation of pathogenic flora begins.

An imbalance of microorganisms in the oral cavity is most often caused by dry mucous membranes. There are several reasons that contribute to drying out:

Breathing through your mouth
Low indoor humidity
Insufficient fluid intake
Disorder of the salivary glands
Long-term use of medications
Psychological stress.

A dry oral cavity provides a favorable environment for the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria. Settling on the mucous membranes, they cause inflammation in the mouth (stomatitis, caries, periodontitis, fungal infections) and nasopharynx (rhinitis, tonsillitis, adenoiditis), which become sources unpleasant odor. The inflammatory process in the nasopharynx is also accompanied by swelling under the eyes, impaired nasal breathing, and snoring.

Diabetes mellitus is indicated by the characteristic smell of acetone, and kidney disease by the smell of ammonia.

An unpleasant symptom can also be caused mumps, affecting the salivary glands.

Psychological factor of the disease

When a child develops bad breath, parents immediately rush to look for physical pathologies. However psychological stress can play an equally significant role in the appearance of bad breath, because it helps reduce the secretion of saliva, and this reduces local immunity and makes the child vulnerable to infection.

It’s worth thinking: perhaps the cause was a nervous shock? It is necessary to analyze the baby's behavior in Lately, his relationships with others: find out if there are any problems in kindergarten or school, if the child is being bullied by his peers. It is important to create a positive atmosphere in the family: then the baby will trust his parents and talk about his fears and worries.

If the child has experienced severe anxiety, you need to give him plenty of water to avoid dehydration and drying out of the mucous membranes.

You can get rid of bad breath in a child by adjusting hygiene and nutrition. Some tips to help parents:

Replace sugar with natural fruits and honey
Add more vegetables to your diet
Reduce the amount of protein
Make sure your child drinks at least one and a half liters clean water in a day
Buy quality toothpaste and a brush
Teach your child the technique of brushing teeth (removing food particles from the interdental space and plaque from the tongue).

If the child is still very small, it is worth checking whether he has foreign body. Perhaps this is the reason for the bad smell: an inflammatory process develops in the nose, and purulent discharge is formed, which the baby swallows.

To remove a foreign body, you must consult a doctor.

If these methods do not help, most likely the reason lies in the onset of the disease. In this case, there is no need to mask the unpleasant symptom: it is important to seek help in time and cure the disease.

Parents should not self-medicate. The most the right decision There will be a visit to the pediatrician: he will conduct a comprehensive examination of the child, clarify all the necessary information for making a preliminary diagnosis, and only then refer him to the right doctor (dentist, otorhinolaryngologist, gastroenterologist, etc.). To clarify the diagnosis, a specialist may prescribe laboratory and ultrasound examinations. This approach will allow you to quickly determine the cause of the unpleasant odor and prevent the development of serious consequences.

Delicate problem: bad breath in a child

If a child is old enough to evaluate the attitude of others towards him, he may be embarrassed by bad breath. Moreover, at school he may experience communication difficulties, be humiliated and ridiculed.

It is very important that parents have a timely educational conversation and explain to the child that he is not to blame for the problem. Sometimes a sensitive reaction causes a strong interest in a child to quickly cope with trouble, and he gladly follows all the prescribed recommendations.

The opposite situation is also possible: the child develops an inferiority complex, he withdraws into himself and does not want to make contact with either his parents or doctors. In this case, you should think about consulting a psychologist.

Immediately after birth, the baby has a very pleasant smell. This is due to its “sterility”. The newborn has not yet reached to the fullest face the harmful effects of the environment, so the microflora of his body is clean and ideal. However, with age, parents may notice a rather unpleasant and even repulsive odor from the child’s mouth. This worries many, so let’s look at the causes of this pathology.

Bad breath in a child is a symptom, the cause of which must be found out. Bad breath - normal or pathological?

Your baby's breath may smell, especially in the morning, due to dry saliva, accumulation of bacteria in the mouth, or the development of a disease. In the latter case, the smell will be persistent and characteristic. If after morning procedures (brushing teeth and tongue, rinsing) the specific aroma does not go away, the child should be shown to a doctor. The pediatrician will examine him, conduct an examination and confirm or refute his family’s fears.

Why do healthy child Do you have a strange smell from your mouth? Let's consider the physiological reasons for this phenomenon:

eating highly sweet, carbohydrate-containing foods or foods with a specific odor (onions, garlic);
drying of the nasopharyngeal mucosa and saliva due to excessive physical activity, stress or after sleep;
use medicines causing odor;
a small child may put something in his nose (for example, a piece of washcloth, rubber), which will cause the object to rot and create an odor;
hormonal changes during puberty, lack of vitamins, microelements and iodine in the body.

The main causes of unpleasant odor

Bad breath occurs at any age and can be associated with rot, iodine, acid, acetone, urine or rotten eggs. With the transition to solid foods and the appearance of teeth infant and children older than one year, food remains remain in the mouth, which leads to the proliferation of bacteria and fungi in the body. With proper care and oral hygiene, the odor usually disappears unless it is a symptom of a disease.

Let's consider the main causes of pathology:

insufficient hygiene;
diseases of the oral cavity;
diseases of the ENT organs;
bronchial infections;
digestive system disease;
damage to the liver, kidneys;
diabetes.

Neglect of oral hygiene

The most common cause of morning odor is poor or improper child oral hygiene or the consumption of foods that cause a specific odor (for example, garlic).

Parents should take control of this issue, as some children neglect oral hygiene. As a result, many microbes appear on the leftover food in the mouth, it rots, decomposes, and plaque forms on the teeth and tongue. Caries and bad breath appear.

Diseases of teeth and gums

Bad breath is accompanied by almost all diseases of the teeth and gums:

caries;
gingivitis;
stomatitis;
periodontal disease;
tartar, etc.

The child should be taken to the dentist, even if no changes are visible on the teeth. Many pathological processes in teeth begin without damage to the enamel, so examination by a specialist is necessary to exclude or confirm the diagnosis.

Diseases of the nasopharynx
Bad breath will occur with diseases of the ENT organs

Bad breath may be a consequence developing disease ENT organs. The main diseases causing pathology:

Acute, purulent or chronic tonsillitis (angina). As a result of the proliferation of bacteria in the nasopharynx, the tonsils form purulent plugs, the tonsils become inflamed. A child with a sore throat feels unwell, has pain when swallowing, and has a fever. Mucus with bacteria accumulates in the throat, which causes a putrid, sour smell.
Sinusitis, acute or chronic rhinitis also causes the appearance of this unpleasant pathology. Purulent mucus flows down back wall nasopharynx, stagnation of snot and pus occurs, so the child smells unpleasant.
Neoplasms and cysts in the throat. This pathology is the most dangerous, since the only symptom may be a putrid odor from the mouth. Often the disease is asymptomatic.

Lung infections

Pulmonary infections affect bronchial secretions, causing mucus production and coughing. This process is very dangerous for children, especially for children under one year old. His lungs are not developed enough to get rid of mucus on their own, so it, along with bacteria, accumulates in the bronchial tree, and an odor appears when coughing. If the problem is not solved, bronchitis and pneumonia develop.

Digestive diseases

When, when communicating with a child, relatives notice that his breath smells sour or rotten, then most likely the baby has digestive problems.

Gastrointestinal diseases are also the cause of bad breath

The appearance of an unpleasant odor may indicate:

gastritis;
disruption of the stomach;
excessive secretion of gastric juice;
disease duodenum;
neoplasms and tumors in the digestive organs;
disruption of the valves in the stomach;
poor nutrition.

Liver diseases

The appearance of a sweetish odor from a child’s mouth when exhaling indicates liver disease. If the disease occurs in acute form, other symptoms also occur: changes in the color of the nails and skin, a yellowish coating on the tongue, itching and rash on the body. These symptoms indicate acute liver failure, disruption of its function and blood flow.

Liver disease is indicated by a sweetish or rotten odor not only from the mouth. Over time, the baby’s skin begins to exude the same aroma.

When additional symptoms You need to urgently consult a doctor who will refer you for tests and an ultrasound. If measures are not taken in time and treatment is not started, the child may fall into a coma.

Kidney diseases

Your child's breath may smell like urine or ammonia. This pathology is associated with:

Not proper nutrition;
taking medications;
kidney disease (pyelonephritis, stones, neoplasms).

Kidney function is affected by a lack of fluid in the body. If a child drinks little water and his diet mainly consists of carbohydrate foods, this leads to increased load on the urinary system. The kidneys fail to cope with their functions, urine stagnates in the body and decay products accumulate, which cause the smell of ammonia.

Diabetes

For proper functioning of the body, glucose is necessary, which comes from certain foods. The hormone insulin, which is produced by the pancreas, helps it get into the cells. If there is a lack of it, glucose is not transported into the cells, which leads to their starvation.

To avoid bad breath in diabetes mellitus, you must adhere to a special diet

This picture is observed in children with diabetes mellitus, when the hormone is not produced enough or is completely absent. This is caused by pathological changes in the pancreas. The reason for this may be heredity. The accumulation of glucose and ketone substances in the blood provokes the smell of acetone and iodine.

Does the appearance of odor depend on the age of the child?

Bad breath can appear at any time in life and does not depend on age. This problem is relevant for both adults and children, and in childhood this pathology is more common. This is mainly due to insufficient hygiene and poor nutrition. Whatever the reason for the odor, the child should in any case be shown to a doctor.

What is the treatment of pathology?

Unpleasant oral odor caused by physiological reasons, does not require treatment. It is often enough to review the child’s diet and quality, limit the consumption of carbohydrate and sweet foods, monitor the amount of fluid intake and proper hygiene oral cavity. If the smell does not go away after a week, this indicates some kind of disease. This smell will go away when the cause is identified and eliminated. To do this, you should contact a specialist.

Prevention
From the early age It is necessary to instill in your child the habit of caring for teeth

To prevent oral odor, the baby must be taught to take care of oral hygiene from the moment of teething. In addition, starting from six months, the baby is given clean food between meals. boiled water, since at this age the liquid contained in breast milk is no longer enough to maintain water balance.

One-year-old babies' first teeth should be cleaned with a bandage. It is wrapped around a clean index finger, moistened with boiled water and rubbed on each tooth on both sides. If there is plaque on the child’s tongue, it must be removed without pressing, so as not to provoke a gag reflex and not to injure the tissue.

From the age of 2, parents brush their child’s teeth with a toothbrush. Three year old child must do this himself under parental supervision. From the age of 10, children can use dental floss (see also: electric toothbrushes for children aged 6 years and older). The child's diet should include fish, dairy products, fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins and fiber. Parents also need to monitor the amount of clean water the child drinks (not taking into account teas, juices, compotes, etc.). Standards for its use:

Sometimes parents may notice an unpleasant odor from the child’s mouth; it feels like it smells of some kind of rot. But not all mothers treat it properly this phenomenon, justifying the bad smell in children by the peculiarities of his diet and other reasons that are suitable in their opinion. But in fact, this is a rather serious problem that must be addressed immediately. Therefore, it is important for parents to study the causes of bad smell and methods to combat them.

Your child’s breath smells – why?

There are several reasons why children may smell bad.

Insufficient oral hygiene. An unpleasant sour odor from the mouth of a child may occur due to poor oral hygiene. Children under 7-10 years of age, for the most part, brush their teeth reluctantly and not thoroughly. For this reason, every time after eating, hundreds of bacteria begin to multiply in the baby’s mouth, which lead to caries and gum inflammation. This is where the bad smell comes from. Therefore, parents should teach their baby to brush their teeth thoroughly at an early age. This will not only avoid discomfort, but also maintain the health of your teeth and digestive tract.
Some foods and drinks. Foods such as cheese, onions, garlic, many juices, corn, etc. can cause the proliferation of various pathogenic bacteria that have a characteristic odor. It often occurs in children after eating sweets. In this case, it is important to explain to the baby that after eating you need to either brush your teeth or simply rinse your mouth.
Fungus on the oral mucosa. Every person has a certain number of microorganisms and bacteria in their mouth. When their balance is disturbed, children and adults develop a bad odor in the mouth, as the inflammatory process rages on the mucous membrane. The imbalance occurs mainly due to poor nutrition. In this case, it is recommended to definitely show the child to a specialist.
Plaque on the child's tongue. Often mothers only care about their children’s teeth, completely unaware that the tongue also needs to be cleaned. The unevenness of the tongue is an excellent place for the accumulation of food debris, which in turn becomes an excellent habitat and breeding ground for microbes. Therefore, from the first days of life, the baby needs to regularly clean his tongue.
Accumulation of mucus in the sinuses. This disease can affect both a one-year-old baby and an older child. In addition to the bad smell, the patient often notes the presence of a strange taste in the mouth. This disease requires qualified treatment.
Mouth breathing. At the moment when the baby breathes not through his nose, but through his mouth, the mucous surface dries out, which also provokes the appearance of an unpleasant odor. Chronic sinusitis and seasonal allergies lead to the fact that the baby cannot breathe normally through his nose. Therefore, ordinary or allergic runny nose treatment should begin as early as possible.
Tonsillitis. This disease is accompanied by the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria in the tonsils, which become the source of bad breath in children. Sometimes food debris accumulates in the tonsils, which begin to rot and emit a disgusting aroma. A child with this disease should regularly gargle with plain water. And from his diet it is worth excluding foods such as cottage cheese and cheese, as well as seeds.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Increased acidity in the stomach and the accumulation of gastric juice in it also provoke bad odor in children. This phenomenon is especially often observed in a child who has eaten heavy food.
Stress, emotional stress and fears of a child under 5 years old. All these phenomena, which at first glance are completely unrelated to the oral cavity, lead either to excessive secretion of saliva, or, conversely, to its temporary absence. Dryness and increased moisture in the oral cavity can also be called one of the most common factors in the appearance of unpleasant odor in the mouth.

Many parents are perplexed why their newly born babies have bad breath, because the baby eats exclusively healthy food - breast milk. In fact, this is due to the fact that the child, having fed the breast and not washed it down with regular water, is also exposed to the creation of a favorable environment in the mouth for the development of bacteria.

Fighting bad breath in children

First of all, no matter how old your child is, you should contact a specialist. The doctor will conduct examinations of the oral cavity, ask you about accompanying symptoms and, if necessary, prescribe treatment. If the doctor has not identified any pathologies, but the smell still does not go away, then you can solve the problem yourself.

Firstly, for a child under three years old, parents should brush their teeth themselves. This will help you thoroughly clean your baby's mouth. Secondly, eliminate all sweets from your baby’s diet. No matter how old a child is, sweets and cakes can bring a minimum of pleasure and a maximum of harm! Replace artificial sugar to normal natural honey. This product of natural origin will not affect dental health and will bring many benefits to the general condition of the body. Just remember that children under 2 years old may not tolerate honey and bee products well, so it is worth introducing this product into the baby’s diet gradually. Thirdly, children after 2 years of age should be offered to eat a little block or orange after the main meal. These fruits increase salivation and help reduce the number of germs in the mouth.

Strong bad breath in a child, the causes of which lie in improper hygiene and eating inappropriate foods, can be eliminated independently. The main thing is to carefully consider this problem.

Bad breath is called halitosis. Strong bad breath, especially in a child, indicates oral diseases or metabolic problems. The nature of the smell can determine the cause of this disease and prescribe specific treatment. The smell from a child’s mouth may be acetone, ammonia, putrefactive, etc. We will tell you more about this in this article.

Causes of bad breath in children

Causes of bad breath in children include:

Inadequate hygiene care for the oral cavity - in this case, the cause may be inappropriate toothpaste or neglect of oral hygiene.
Infection in the oral cavity - the activity of pathogenic microorganisms can create a putrid odor from the mouth of a child.
Dysfunction salivary glands- a change in bad breath may indicate a violation of the composition of saliva, as well as an insufficient level of secretion.
Difficulty in nasal breathing reduces the protective functions of the oral mucosa, and inflammation occurs. Also, when nasal breathing is impaired, infectious diseases of the upper respiratory tract become more frequent.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Metabolic disease.

Sometimes the appearance of a foreign odor from the mouth can be a manifestation of stress, in which case the phenomenon quickly passes. In some cases, halitosis indicates problems with cardiovascular system, pathology nervous system, immunodeficiency conditions, hereditary diseases.

If the problem occurs frequently and lasts for long periods of time, you should consult a doctor.

Types of odor and possible diseases

How to treat?

If a foreign odor appears from a child’s mouth, the following steps must be taken:

Contact your dentist for an oral examination. If no diseases were detected, it is necessary to continue the examination
A consultation with a pediatrician will help collect the child’s medical history and make a list further research. Then you will need to undergo an examination as prescribed by your pediatrician.
An examination by an ENT doctor will help determine otitis media, tonsillitis, sore throat and inflammation of the adenoids. Also, halitosis can occur with frequent ARVI, sinusitis and pharyngitis.
Consultation with a gastroenterologist for disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, and biliary tract. You may have to do an ultrasound of the liver and gallbladder, and undergo gastroduodenoscopy.
Pass general tests: urine, blood, feces, to determine possible problems: inflammation, gastrointestinal diseases, kidney diseases, anemia.
Donate blood for biochemistry to identify metabolic problems, hormonal imbalances and diabetes.

Once the source of the problem has been identified, it is necessary to follow the instructions of the attending physician, providing the child with all the conditions for a speedy recovery. Complex therapeutic measures prescribed by a specialist, take preventive measures you can do it yourself.

Preventing bad breath in children

To prevent halitosis in children, the following actions should be taken:

Choose a toothpaste suitable for the child, teach the child to independently monitor the cleanliness of the oral cavity.
Eliminate excess sweet foods, limit salt and spices.
Take measures to stop dysbiosis: consume probiotics, include fermented milk products in your diet.
Wash fresh vegetables and fruits thoroughly before eating.
Give your child more clean drinking water, especially in hot weather. A child over four years old needs to drink about one and a half liters of water, not counting tea, juices and liquids in food.
To improve the smell of your breath, you can use herbal decoctions and chew chewing gum after eating food.
You need to start monitoring oral hygiene from the age of six months: you can buy a special soft brush at the pharmacy and brush your teeth, gums, tongue and the inside of your cheeks first without toothpaste. Starting from one and a half years old, you can buy special children's toothpastes, with their help it will be possible to prevent caries and accustom the baby to regular brushing of teeth.
Also, you need to strengthen the baby’s immunity. Introduce complementary foods according to age, choose dietary and hypoallergenic foods. Over-salted, spicy foods, canned foods and fast food products should be avoided.
To monitor your health, you must regularly visit a pediatrician at your place of residence.

Any changes in the health of children are accompanied by various symptoms - lethargy, decreased appetite, increased temperature and even the occurrence of bad breath. The last symptom is a particularly important indicator that something is wrong in the child’s body. Bad breath in a child may indicate development various diseases that every parent should know about.

Bad breath in medicine is called in one word – halitosis. Its development is provoked by bacteria that are found in the oral cavity. Some of them allow you to maintain certain microflora in the mouth, therefore they are absolutely safe for health. But there are also those that are unsafe.

As a rule, both bacteria maintain the balance of the microflora. But the influence of some factors, for example, fasting, stress, infectious processes, can provoke active reproduction and growth of pathogenic microorganisms, resulting in changes in the microflora of the oral cavity.

In the absence of pathological processes in the body, newborn children's breath smells of milk, since at this age they only eat milk, which leads to the active growth of lactic bacteria. It is they who suppress the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms during this period of the child’s life.

Children over one year of age should also not experience halitosis. And if bad breath appears in a child 2 years of age or older, then it is necessary to carefully analyze the situation and identify the main reason why this symptom occurred and what it may signal.

However, if you have previously undergone a full examination with your child and no pathologies have been identified, do not worry. After all, even completely healthy baby Halitosis may sometimes occur. This is due to several reasons:

Eating certain foods that themselves do not smell the best in the best possible way, such as fresh garlic or onions. These products contain substances that are quickly absorbed into the blood but take a very long time to be eliminated from the body. Therefore, after consuming them, halitosis in a child may persist for the next few days.
Poor nutrition. If a child eats a lot of protein foods (meat, fish, seafood, etc.), then it is likely that this is the reason for his halitosis. This occurs for the reason that protein takes a very long time to be digested by the digestive system, and when it is consumed in very large quantities, putrefactive processes occur in the digestive system, which lead to bad breath in a child. It is worth noting that the cause of halitosis in a baby can be hard cheese, which children love so much. The thing is that when it is digested, sulfur compounds are formed in the body, which are released along with the exhaled air.
Stress. With any stimulation of the nervous system, some babies experience increased sweating and salivation, which leads to the occurrence of halitosis.
Lack or improper adherence to personal hygiene rules. Many children simply do not like to brush their teeth or do it poorly, which leads to the active proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms. Parents should explain to the child the importance of this procedure and show him how to properly care for the oral cavity. Simply brushing the surface of your teeth is not enough. It is also necessary to regularly clean the surface of the tongue and internal sides cheeks, since they also contain bacteria.
Eating large quantity Sahara. Various chocolates, cookies and other sweets that contain sugar cause fermentation processes in the body, which creates a favorable environment for the development of bacteria and the appearance of bad breath.

If you notice halitosis in your baby, you can correct the situation yourself, but only if the child does not have various pathological processes. First of all, it is necessary to exclude crumbs of sweets from the diet. If the child does not have allergic reaction If you use honey, it is better to use it instead of sugar.

At the same time, care should be taken to ensure that the baby eats as many fresh vegetables and fruits as possible, especially carrots and apples, as they have a beneficial effect on the condition of the oral mucosa and help suppress the growth of bacteria.

Proper oral care plays a very important role in this matter. You need to brush your teeth at least 2 times a day. Rinsing the mouth should be done after each meal and it is advisable to do this with decoctions of medicinal herbs that have an aseptic effect (for example, chamomile, St. John's wort, calendula, etc.).

It is important to teach your child to use dental floss, since it is very difficult to remove food debris in the interdental space with a regular brush. But it is they who can also provoke the appearance of an unpleasant odor, since if they are not removed, they begin to rot.

If parents closely monitor their baby, follow all the rules described above, and the child still develops bad breath, the reasons may be hidden in pathological processes. It is very important to show your baby to the doctor and try to explain to him the nature of the unpleasant odor. After all, it can be different and a preliminary diagnosis can be made based on it.

If your child's breath smells rotten eggs, then this indicates a disruption in the functioning of the stomach and the occurrence of inflammatory processes in it.
Sour breath odor in children indicates increased acidity stomach and the occurrence of gastritis or ulcers. And a putrid smell means low acidity.
If the baby smells acetone from his mouth, this indicates development.
Kidney pathologies are manifested by an unpleasant odor of ammonia from the oral cavity.
If a child’s breath smells like cabbage or feces, this indicates a metabolic disorder.
Liver diseases are manifested by a sweetish odor from the mouth.

But it is worth noting that bad breath in a child can also occur as a result of the development of other diseases. For example, in the presence of adenoids. They are overgrown lymphoid tissue in which chronic inflammation. As a result of its growth, mucus forms on the surface of the adenoids, which eliminates the unpleasant odor. This symptom should not be ignored, since the appearance of adenoids leads to the fact that the child begins to breathe through the mouth. And this contributes to overdrying of the mucous membrane and its traumatization.

Halitosis in a child can occur as a result of various viral and infectious diseases of the throat and mouth, as well as respiratory tract diseases in acute or chronic form.

In addition, bad breath in a child 3 years of age and older may occur due to the presence of carious teeth and gum disease. It often appears as a result of the development of a fungal infection. It is very easy to identify, since when a fungus appears, all the mucous membranes of the oral cavity become covered with a white coating.

If we talk about why a child has bad breath, then several more diseases should be noted:

chronic diseases organs of the digestive system - stomach, pancreas, gallbladder, etc.;
viral diseases such as chickenpox, smallpox, etc.;
liver diseases;
helminthic infestations;
genetic diseases leading to metabolic disorders;
dysbiosis.

In some children, halitosis occurs while taking certain medications. Most often, its appearance is provoked by taking antibacterial agents.

If you notice that your baby has bad breath periodically, take him to the doctor immediately. After all, this symptom, subject to all the rules of personal hygiene, clearly indicates the presence of serious diseases that require urgent treatment.

Video about bad breath in children

Sometimes parents may notice an unpleasant odor from the child’s mouth; it feels like it smells of some kind of rot. But not all mothers treat this phenomenon properly, justifying the bad smell in children by the peculiarities of their diet and other reasons that seem suitable to them. But in fact, this is a rather serious problem that must be addressed immediately. Therefore, it is important for parents to study the causes of bad smell and methods to combat them.

Your child’s breath smells – why?

There are several reasons why children may smell bad.

Insufficient oral hygiene. An unpleasant sour odor from the mouth of a child may occur due to poor oral hygiene. Children under 7-10 years of age, for the most part, brush their teeth reluctantly and not thoroughly. For this reason, every time after eating, hundreds of bacteria begin to multiply in the baby’s mouth, which lead to caries and gum inflammation. This is where the bad smell comes from. Therefore, parents should teach their baby to brush their teeth thoroughly at an early age. This will not only avoid discomfort, but also maintain the health of your teeth and digestive tract.
Some foods and drinks. Foods such as cheese, onions, garlic, many juices, corn, etc. can cause the proliferation of various pathogenic bacteria that have a characteristic odor. It often occurs in children after eating sweets. In this case, it is important to explain to the baby that after eating you need to either brush your teeth or simply rinse your mouth.
Fungus on the oral mucosa. Every person has a certain number of microorganisms and bacteria in their mouth. When their balance is disturbed, children and adults develop a bad odor in the mouth, as the inflammatory process rages on the mucous membrane. Imbalance occurs mainly due to poor nutrition. In this case, it is recommended to definitely show the child to a specialist.
Plaque on the child's tongue. Often mothers only care about their children’s teeth, completely unaware that the tongue also needs to be cleaned. The unevenness of the tongue is an excellent place for the accumulation of food debris, which in turn becomes an excellent habitat and breeding ground for microbes. Therefore, from the first days of life, the baby needs to regularly clean his tongue.
Accumulation of mucus in the sinuses. This disease can affect both a one-year-old baby and an older child. In addition to the bad smell, the patient often notes the presence of a strange taste in the mouth. This disease requires qualified treatment.
Mouth breathing. At the moment when the baby breathes not through his nose, but through his mouth, the mucous surface dries out, which also provokes the appearance of an unpleasant odor. Chronic sinusitis and seasonal allergies lead to the fact that the baby cannot breathe normally through the nose. Therefore, a common or allergic runny nose should be treated as early as possible.
Tonsillitis. This disease is accompanied by the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria in the tonsils, which become the source of bad breath in children. Sometimes food debris accumulates in the tonsils, which begin to rot and emit a disgusting aroma. A child with this disease should regularly gargle with plain water. And from his diet it is worth excluding foods such as cottage cheese and cheese, as well as seeds.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Increased acidity in the stomach and the accumulation of gastric juice in it also provoke bad odor in children. This phenomenon is especially often observed in a child who has eaten heavy food.
Stress, emotional stress and fears of a child under 5 years old. All these phenomena, which at first glance are completely unrelated to the oral cavity, lead either to excessive secretion of saliva, or, conversely, to its temporary absence. Dryness and increased moisture in the oral cavity can also be called one of the most common factors in the appearance of unpleasant odor in the mouth.

Many parents are perplexed why their newly born babies have bad breath, because the baby eats exclusively healthy food - breast milk. In fact, this is due to the fact that the child, having fed the breast and not washed it down with regular water, is also exposed to the creation of a favorable environment in the mouth for the development of bacteria.

Fighting bad breath in children

Firstly, for a child under three years old, parents should brush their teeth themselves. This will help you thoroughly clean your baby's mouth. Secondly, eliminate all sweets from your baby’s diet. No matter how old a child is, sweets and cakes can bring a minimum of pleasure and a maximum of harm! Replace artificial sugar with regular natural honey. This product of natural origin will not affect dental health and will bring many benefits to the general condition of the body. Just remember that children under 2 years old may not tolerate honey and bee products well, so it is worth introducing this product into the baby’s diet gradually. Thirdly, children after 2 years of age should be offered to eat a little block or orange after the main meal. These fruits increase salivation and help reduce the number of germs in the mouth.

Strong bad breath in a child, the causes of which lie in improper hygiene and eating inappropriate foods, can be eliminated independently. The main thing is to carefully consider this problem.

About the problem

The appearance of a specific odor from a child’s mouth is not as harmless a phenomenon as it might seem at first glance. It is important to find out whether it is a symptom of a serious illness.

A child has bad breath: causes that do not require treatment

The most common cause of halitosis in a child is poor hygiene. It is also the most easily remedied: parents need to teach their child to brush their teeth properly and monitor regular hygiene procedures.

The health of a child is directly related to the quality of nutrition. If your diet contains too much protein or sweets, you may experience bad breath. The reason for this is the processes of decay in the intestines.

Garlic
Hard cheeses
Corn
Radish
Dairy
Sweet carbonated drinks.

Cause for concern

A healthy child's mouth contains a huge amount of bacteria. Some of them - non-pathogenic bacteria - will never cause disease. Another group of bacteria - opportunistic - do not manifest themselves until favorable conditions for their reproduction appear. If the child’s immunity is weakened, the activation of pathogenic flora begins.

An imbalance of microorganisms in the oral cavity is most often caused by dry mucous membranes. There are several reasons that contribute to drying out:

Breathing through your mouth
Low indoor humidity
Insufficient fluid intake
Disorder of the salivary glands
Long-term use of medications
Psychological stress.

A dry oral cavity provides a favorable environment for the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria. Settling on the mucous membranes, they cause inflammation in the mouth (stomatitis, caries, periodontitis, fungal infections) and nasopharynx (rhinitis, tonsillitis, adenoiditis), which become sources of unpleasant odor. The inflammatory process in the nasopharynx is also accompanied by swelling under the eyes, impaired nasal breathing, and snoring.

Diabetes mellitus is indicated by the characteristic smell of acetone, and kidney disease by the smell of ammonia.

An unpleasant symptom can also be caused by mumps, which affects the salivary glands.

Psychological factor of the disease

When a child develops bad breath, parents immediately rush to look for physical pathologies. However, psychological stress can play an equally significant role in the appearance of bad breath, because it helps to reduce the secretion of saliva, and this reduces local immunity and makes the child vulnerable to infection.

It’s worth thinking: perhaps the cause was a nervous shock? It is necessary to analyze the child’s behavior recently, his relationships with others: find out if there are any problems in kindergarten or school, if the child is being bullied by his peers. It is important to create a positive atmosphere in the family: then the baby will trust his parents and talk about his fears and worries.

If the child has experienced severe anxiety, you need to give him plenty of water to avoid dehydration and drying out of the mucous membranes.

You can get rid of bad breath in a child by adjusting hygiene and nutrition. Some tips to help parents:

Replace sugar with natural fruits and honey
Add more vegetables to your diet
Reduce the amount of protein
Make sure your child drinks at least one and a half liters of clean water per day
Buy quality toothpaste and brush
Teach your child the technique of brushing teeth (removing food particles from the interdental space and plaque from the tongue).

If the child is still very young, it is worth checking if he has a foreign body in his nose. Perhaps this is the reason for the bad smell: an inflammatory process develops in the nose, and purulent discharge is formed, which the baby swallows.

To remove a foreign body, you must consult a doctor.

Parents should not self-medicate. The most correct decision would be to visit a pediatrician: he will conduct a comprehensive examination of the child, clarify all the necessary information for making a preliminary diagnosis, and only then refer him to the right doctor (dentist, otolaryngologist, gastroenterologist, etc.). To clarify the diagnosis, a specialist may prescribe laboratory and ultrasound tests. This approach will allow you to quickly determine the cause of the unpleasant odor and prevent the development of serious consequences.

Delicate problem: bad breath in a child

Children should smell like milk, candy and childhood. But sometimes parents notice that their child has bad breath. This is most noticeable in the morning after sleep. At the same time, the baby is healthy, active, does not complain about anything, and is not sick in any way. With questions about the reasons for such an unpleasant phenomenon, mothers and fathers turn to pediatricians, dentists, other parents, on the Internet, and, quite often, to the authoritative doctor Evgeniy Komarovsky.

About the problem

Doctors are precise people; they like to systematize and name everything. There is also a “name” for such a phenomenon as bad breath - halitosis. Medical encyclopedias describe it as a symptom of certain diseases of the stomach and intestines, as a sign of a violation of the microflora of the mouth. The term does not denote an independent disease; medicine considers bad breath exclusively external manifestation certain internal problems.

And although bad breath has been known to healers since time immemorial, it was decided to call it by its own name only in 1920, when it was really necessary to somehow identify the problem in order to make a successful advertising campaign mouth rinse. The product, by the way, was and is being sold quite successfully. And the name was simply included in reference books.

Komarovsky about the problem and causes

The reasons for the appearance of unpleasant amber from a child’s mouth can be different. But almost all of them ultimately come down to the fact that the smell is a consequence of the proliferation of bacteria in the oral cavity. In this case, microbes release special substances containing sulfur components. It is this substance that is responsible for the bad smell. Typically, saliva has a detrimental effect on microbes; it literally paralyzes them and prevents them from multiplying. But if the properties of saliva, its composition are disturbed, the saliva itself is not enough, then the bacteria feel like “masters of the situation.”

A lack of saliva or a change in its chemical composition leads not only to the appearance of an unpleasant odor, but also to the occurrence of certain bacterial infections - in the nose, larynx, bronchi and trachea, in the ears, for example. And this is quite natural, since those reproducing harmful microorganisms they need a new living space; the oral cavity is no longer enough for them.

Officially, medicine names diseases of the gastrointestinal tract as one of the reasons for the appearance of bad breath, but Evgeniy Komarovsky is convinced that there is no such relationship at all. If only for the reason that the smell from the esophagus cannot penetrate into the mouth through a special “valve” that closes the digestive organs.

But the food that the child took can greatly affect the occurrence of the smell. For example, if he ate garlic, grapes. This smell should not cause concern, as it goes away on its own.

Bad breath can also be a concomitant symptom of nasal diseases, or rather maxillary sinuses. Then the stench is associated with the accumulation of pus in them. The same symptom accompanies a sore throat, when bacterial inflammatory processes occur in the tonsils and larynx. Even with an ordinary slight runny nose, the child begins to breathe through his mouth, the saliva dries up, and pathogenic microbes receive a favorable environment for reproduction.

Dr. Komarovsky will tell you the main reasons for the appearance of an unpleasant odor in the next video.

The most obvious cause of bad breath is dental problems. The easiest way to install it is to carefully examine the teeth, and if you notice the beginning of caries, swelling of the gums, their redness, swelling, you should go to an appointment with a pediatric dentist. Once the cause is eliminated, the smell will disappear the same day.

In addition, there are other reasons, which can be determined by medical specialists during a personal consultation.

The specificity of smell plays an important role in diagnosis. For example, the smell of acetone may be a sign of acetone syndrome, diabetes mellitus, problems with gallbladder. The sweetish smell should be the most alarming, as it is often accompanied by serious liver pathologies, hepatitis, and severe exhaustion of the body.

The smell of ammonia on your breath may indicate possible problems with the liver, metabolism, excess proteins that the child receives from food. And the smell of medicines is usually not dangerous; it quite naturally arises when taking certain medications, for example, vitamins or antibiotics.

In any case, a child’s bad breath cannot be ignored. The sooner you contact your pediatrician for a personal appointment, the faster he will determine the cause and help you choose treatment tactics. The downside of modern healthcare is that doctors, unfortunately, determine the nature and intensity of bad breath empirically by sniffing themselves. For accurate diagnosis, you need a special device that determines the amount of sulfur in the exhaled air.

But the stool, blood and urine tests beloved by our children's doctors, which prescribe all children with complaints of bad breath, are completely useless. This ritual is rather a tribute to the tradition of the old pediatric school. They are done because it is customary to do them every time you go to the clinic with any complaints.

In the case of liver damage and diabetes mellitus, as well as other serious causes of odor, you should follow all the recommendations of your doctor. If the reason is a violation of the microflora of the oral cavity, you can cope on your own.

Getting rid of such a bad smell is quite simple, says a famous pediatrician. It is enough to be attentive to the air humidity in the apartment where the child lives. Too dry air dries out the mouth. It is best to maintain the air humidity level in the house at around 50-70%. For this, Evgeniy Olegovich recommends buying a special device - a humidifier.

To maintain sufficient saliva production, Evgeniy Komarovsky advises giving your child lemon water - regular water or mineral water without gas with the addition of lemon juice and a large lemon wedge. The acidic environment will irritate the taste buds, saliva will begin to be produced more actively in response to irritation and microbes in the oral cavity will not be happy. The doctor emphasizes that sometimes it is enough just to show the child a slice of lemon if he is already familiar with its taste. In this situation, saliva begins to be released reflexively.

If there is an unpleasant odor due to a runny nose, the doctor recommends doing saline nasal rinses and giving the child more to drink. As soon as nasal breathing is restored, the saliva will stop drying out.

Saliva will be released in sufficient quantities to resist microbes if the child has a normal drinking regime and the parents do not allow dehydration.
Most of the bacteria that are responsible for halitosis live on the tongue and the inside of the cheeks, especially if there is plaque on them. If the child’s age allows, the doctor advises teaching the child to clean the tongue using a special brush.
To brush your child’s teeth, choose a toothpaste with a pleasant pine aroma and completely avoid mouth rinses that contain alcohol, as they additionally dry out the oral mucosa.
There is a myth, especially perpetuated by grandparents, that a child's close contact with pet cats and dogs can cause bad breath. Four-legged animals have absolutely nothing to do with it; kicking out a cat or giving a dog to kind hands there is no need.

A child’s bad breath cannot but worry his parents. After all, this phenomenon does not always have relatively harmless causes related to lack of hygiene or food eaten the day before. Sometimes such a baby needs full medical examination which will help identify the cause and eliminate it. We will talk about why a child’s breath may smell unpleasant in this article.

Origin

Strong unpleasant foul odor from the mouth is medically called “halitosis.” This concept does not imply any one specific disease. This is a whole complex of problems with human body, which can cause rapid growth of anaerobic microbes, which create this “aroma”.

If a child has bad breath, this is not always a sign that the problem lies in poor oral health. “Problems” can be caused by “malfunctions” in the ENT organs, the digestive system, and the kidneys. Thus, the root causes of bad breath can be quite varied, but the mechanism is always the same. Aerobic microbes live and develop in the mouth of a healthy child. Their task is to prevent the development of anaerobic “brothers”, which include streptococci, coli and a number of other microorganisms.

If the balance of microflora in the mouth is disturbed for some reason, and anaerobic bacteria begin to predominate quantitatively and qualitatively over aerobic bacteria, a foul odor appears.

Anaerobic (smelly) bacteria feed on protein deposits on the tongue, teeth, and gums, and when multiplying, they release volatile sulfur and non-sulfur compounds. Depending on which compound is formed, what your breath will smell like depends on:

methyl mercaptan- a simple gas that gives off the smell of rotten cabbage and feces;
allyl mercaptan- a colorless gas that produces the smell of garlic;
hydrogen sulfide- gas with a sweetish odor, giving the smell of rotten eggs, feces;

dimethyl sulfide- a gas compound that gives a distinct chemical odor of sulfur or gasoline;
putrescine- an organic compound that gives off the smell of rotting meat;
dimethylamine- a compound that causes the smell of fish and ammonia;
isovaleric acid- a compound that explains the smell of sweat and spoiled milk.

There are about two dozen more such compounds, and they chemical compositions and have no special features for parents practical application. After all, the main task is to find the source of the spread of anaerobic microbes.

Halitosis is eliminated only when its true cause is eliminated.

Common Factors

The reasons why a child has bad breath can be physiological or pathological. In the first case we can talk about:

violation of hygiene rules- insufficiently thorough cleaning of teeth and gums, rinsing the mouth;
nutritional features- smelly breath becomes due to the foods that the child eats (garlic can spoil the exhaled air even a day after eating it, and the onion smell persists for up to 8 hours);
small wounds and ulcers in the mouth caused by natural causes (teething, for example).

The list of pathological causes is more extensive; it includes various ENT ailments, dental diseases and problems with the digestive system:

caries, stomatitis, periodontal disease, etc.
pathologies of the upper respiratory tract (chronic or prolonged runny nose, adenoiditis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, tonsillitis, tonsillitis);
diseases of the lower respiratory tract (bronchitis, tracheitis, pneumonia);

diseases of the digestive system (gastritis, stomach ulcers, enzyme deficiency, which leads to disturbances in the digestive processes);
diabetes;
kidney disease, renal failure;
malignant tumors and neoplasms internal organs.

Nonspecific causes deserve special attention. Children often have bad breath not only because they have a certain disease. The smell may have psychosomatic causes - severe stress, fear, fright, prolonged psychological experiences. Another reason that parents should be aware of is disturbances in the surrounding microclimate. If a child breathes too dry air, the mucous membranes of the nose and oropharynx dry out, as a result of which aerobic microbes cannot effectively resist anaerobic ones, and bad breath appears.

If a child eats irregularly and skips meals, the smell may be the smell of food that is not completely digested in the stomach and rises up the esophagus. This does not mean that the child has digestive disorders; in this case, the smell is a signal for parents to establish proper and rational nutrition. Most often, bad breath in children is a consequence of gastroesophageal reflux, which is very common in childhood. When they occur, some of the food is thrown back into the esophagus. This problem is age-related, and in most cases it is successfully “outgrown” by children.

At the same time, children with helminthic infestations often do not suffer from bad breath, and their parents bring them to see a doctor due to completely different symptoms.

Character of the smell

Some pathologies have unpleasant and characteristic symptoms halitosis. So, there are odors that should definitely alert parents and force them to immediately visit the pediatrician:

Acetone. A child's breath may smell like acetone due to the development of diabetes. And if a child develops an unpleasant acetone odor against a background of high temperature, this may indicate the development of acetone syndrome. A faint odor of acetone may accompany periods of fasting.
Rotting. A putrid odor appears with complicated caries, with serious dental problems. If there are none, then the child should definitely be examined by a gastroenterologist, since the smell of rotting meat often accompanies diseases of the stomach, duodenum, and pancreas. It is characteristic that he appears on the very initial stage ailments.

Sweetish smell. A pronounced sweet smell with cloying undertones may indicate a purulent process. It usually develops in the nasopharynx, oral cavity, and throat. This smell can be observed in a child with sore throat, bacterial rhinitis, and adenoids. If the ENT doctor does not find any pathologies, it is imperative to show the child to a gastroenterologist, who will examine the baby’s liver. Some liver pathologies are accompanied by the appearance of a sharp sweet odor from the mouth.
Sour smell. The appearance of a pronounced sour odor may indicate that the child has reflux. In a baby, such a smell can occur often, as a reaction of the body to the introduction of complementary foods, to a change in the formula. In this case, the smell has a certain shade sour milk. A sour smell in children aged 2-3 years always indicates stomach problems. An examination is required.

Smell of ammonia. This smell appears during periods of severe illness associated with intoxication of the body. If the appearance of the smell was not preceded by a disease, this should be especially alarming - an ammonia smell with a sharp manifestation often accompanies kidney disease and the development of renal failure. A faint ammonia smell may indicate the development of diabetes.
Yeast smell. A child's mouth may smell of fresh yeast due to candidiasis. Fungi of this family, when multiplying, emit a specific odor.

The smell of rotten eggs. This smell usually appears in diseases of the stomach and intestines. Sometimes it smells like feces. The symptom requires mandatory examination by a gastroenterologist.
The smell of iodine. The aroma characteristic of this antiseptic in children usually appears due to the oversaturation of the body with iodine. This substance tends to accumulate, and therefore if a nursing mother takes iodine preparations, and the same substance is contained in complementary foods (in a mixture, for example), then a corresponding odor may appear from the mouth of a small child. In children over 10 years of age, the appearance of an iodized odor may indicate iodine intolerance.
Metallic smell. The smell of metal from a child’s mouth may indicate the presence of ailments associated with the occurrence and development of anemia.

Diagnostics

Parents need to observe carefully to understand what else, besides bad breath, has changed in the child. All internal diseases usually have additional symptoms and signs:

For sour smell, it is important to make sure that the child does not have heartburn, his stomach is not bothering him, and his bowel movements are fine. And if there is a hydrogen sulfide “aroma,” it is imperative to monitor whether the child has belching, nausea, or whether vomiting occurs frequently.
With a bitter smell You need to examine the baby’s tongue and oral cavity for the presence of a yellow or grayish coating, which is characteristic of many pathologies of the liver and gall bladder. If an acetone or ammonia smell appears, you need to take the baby’s temperature, collect urine for analysis, and then go to the clinic.

Sometimes bad breath is a far-fetched problem. Overly impressionable mothers and grandmothers find it where it really is not.

After all, if a child’s breath smells unpleasant in the morning, before he has had time to wash his face and brush his teeth, this does not mean pathological reasons phenomena.

There are home tests for halitosis. The first is carried out using a spoon. Using the handle of a cutlery, carefully take a little plaque from the child’s tongue and evaluate it for smell. The second involves the ability of saliva to “absorb” odors. The child is asked to lick the wrist and wait until the saliva dries, after which the smell is assessed. Both methods are quite subjective.

Your doctor can tell you more about the presence of the odor and its probable causes after he conducts an accurate medical test for halitosis. The study is called halimetry. It involves a simple procedure - the child will be asked to exhale into a special device, and an analysis of the exhaled air will show whether it contains hydrogen sulfide, sulfur and non-sulfur compounds. The entire study takes no more than fifteen minutes. If bad breath is detected, the doctor may take samples of plaque from the tongue and the inside of the cheeks. bacteriological examination. Samples of the child's saliva will also be sent to the laboratory in a sterile container.

Parents will be given directions to visit such specialists as a pediatric dentist (dentist), otolaryngologist, gastroenterologist, nephrologist. The dentist will examine and sanitize the oral cavity. If sore teeth or gums are detected, the baby will immediately receive necessary treatment. An ENT specialist will evaluate the condition of the tonsils, nasopharynx, and larynx. If diseases are detected, adequate therapy will be prescribed. A gastroenterologist will perform an ultrasound of the organs abdominal cavity, if necessary, endoscopy with mandatory sampling of gastric juice for acidity analysis (especially if there is a sour odor from the mouth). Based on a urine test, the nephrologist will draw a conclusion about the state of the child’s excretory system.

To get the most reliable result, the day before visiting the doctor, the child should not be given foods containing sulfur compounds - garlic and onions, as well as spicy foods.

If possible, you should stop taking all medications. In the morning before going to the clinic, the child should not brush his teeth, rinse his mouth, or use a freshener or chewing gum.

How to get rid of it?

Treatment of halitosis should be based on treating the cause that caused bad breath, since there is absolutely no point in fighting the effect without eliminating the cause. Typically, treatment for bad breath includes general and specific recommendations. General ones apply to all reasons without exception. Private - relevant when the underlying disease is identified.

The child must brush his teeth properly. This should not be done immediately after the baby wakes up, but after breakfast, and then in the evening after dinner, just before bed. The brush should be comfortable, moderately hard, and have a special “platform” for cleaning the tongue and cheeks. Show your child how to use it correctly. Children from 6-7 years old can use a special device - dental floss - when brushing their teeth in the evening, since a brush alone is not enough to completely clean the oral cavity of small food particles and protein plaque.
Upon reaching one year of age, a child can begin to use children's toothpastes. They are created taking into account the fact that a toddler can swallow them and do not cause any harm to the child’s health.

All dental problems must be identified and treated promptly., therefore, the child needs to be taken to the dentist at least once a year, or better yet twice, for an examination and sanitation of the oral cavity.
Proper nutrition will help make your breath fresh. Sugar, sweets and baked goods contribute to the formation of protein plaque on the tongue, gums and teeth. But fresh fruits and vegetables, on the contrary, help cleanse the mouth and promote normal digestion. Fermented milk products must be present in a child’s diet - they contribute to the development of proper digestive function.

Do not feed in large quantities food that promotes the formation of molecules organic compounds sulphurous and non-sulphurous character. These foods include onions and garlic, corn, cabbage, carbonated drinks, especially sweet soda.

It is important to give great importance problem of bad breath in adolescence. At this time, when the body undergoes significant changes at the hormonal level, such a problem may appear, especially in girls, especially during menstruation. In this case, oral hygiene procedures must be carried out using special medicinal dental products - gels, pastes, rinses.
The correct microclimate also plays a huge role in oral health.. The child should not breathe dry and dusty air. To do this, it is recommended to buy an air humidifier and set it at 50-70%. At such humidity, saliva is produced in sufficient quantities, its antiseptic properties are at an high level, it can easily cope with bacteria that penetrate the oral cavity.

It is especially important to adhere to these indoor air parameters in apartments where children from one year of age and older live. They quite often “pull” everything into the mouth, resulting in microtraumas of the oral cavity, and the likelihood of infection increases significantly.

Treatment of halitosis with medications

Common methods:

Strange smell from the mouth due to illness, usually disappears as the child is cured of the underlying pathology. In this case, medications are prescribed by the doctor depending on the diagnosis established during the examination.
In some cases, dental gels are used to treat halitosis itself.(“Metrogil-denta”, for example). Children are prohibited from using adult alcohol-based products to rinse. For rinsing, you can use a preparation such as “Chlorhexidine solution”. Doctors recommend that young patients rinse their mouths with a decoction of chamomile (prepared dried preparations are sold at any pharmacy). The smell of medicinal herbs effectively eliminates unpleasant bad breath. And teenagers can use antiseptics, for example Asepta.

Triclosan product which for a long time was considered an excellent antiseptic for the oral cavity for the whole family; it is not recommended to give to children, since recent medical research has shown that the drug increases the risk of developing allergies.
Effective antiseptic "Celitpyridine" exists in the form of lozenges. They can be given to children from 6 years old. But the remedy "Camphomen" - combination drug for irrigating the oral cavity and performing inhalations, it helps quite well, but it is not recommended for children under 5 years of age.

Using the above medicines Don't try to mask your bad breath. Treatment will only be effective and correct when it includes both local treatment of the oral cavity and the main therapy prescribed by the doctor based on the results of the examination.

Folk remedies They cannot act as an independent treatment for halitosis, and therefore it is better to abandon them. With the permission of the attending physician, you can use only some recipes from the arsenal of alternative medicine - herbal rinses with chamomile, lemon balm, mint.

Prevention

Measures to prevent foul, unpleasant breath consist of an integrated approach:

proper hygiene of the oral cavity, teeth, rinsing the mouth after each meal;
timely visits to doctors and adequate treatment of diseases of the ears, nose and throat, stomach, intestines, kidneys, as well as systemic allergies;
balanced diet;
strengthening the immune system, vitamin therapy.

Dr. Komarovsky will talk about the main reasons for the appearance of an unpleasant odor in the next video.

The most pleasant smell in the world is the smell of a newborn baby. The baby smells of milk and vanilla, in addition it smells of tenderness, velvet, affection and love. The child grows up, acquires an individual aroma, human. One morning, the mother will be horrified when she smells the baby’s foul breath - a picture familiar to some parents.

Where does bad breath come from in children?

Normally, the air from children's mouths is neutral and does not attract attention. But from time to time a sharp, unpleasant aroma is felt, causing anxiety among parents. The reasons for the appearance of a child are different, let’s look at the most common:

More often, odors are temporary and not associated with pathology. They change throughout the day, appearing and disappearing. This is normal.

Smell at a certain age

As a child grows up, the odors coming from a child's mouth change. Age characteristics will tell the parent the reason. What is the difference between the aroma of the breath of a baby and a teenager:

What smell indicates illness?

Sometimes an unpleasant odor appears as a symptom of illness. How to understand in which case it is enough to carry out hygiene procedure, and when is a doctor needed? Halitosis is not a disease, but it helps determine associated disease. Rate the scent and compare whether it matches the description:

Purulent or putrefactive, accompanies diseases of the ENT organs: tonsillitis, sinusitis, etc. Smells of pus are felt in the presence of stomatitis and dental caries. Examine the oral cavity; you may quickly find the source of inflammation.
Sour speaks of gastrointestinal pathologies, dysbacteriosis or candidiasis of the oral mucosa.
The smell of rotten eggs indicates an abundance of hydrogen sulfide gases in the stomach; rotten breath indicates possible stomach diseases.
A sweetish aroma is an alarming sign; a cloying sweet smell indicates liver disease.
If you feel the taste of acetone in your baby’s breath, this may be a consequence of diabetes or gastrointestinal diseases, and requires urgent medical attention.
The fetid smell of rot appears during a cold, ARVI, or runny nose, which means that an inflammatory process is developing in the body.
If bile enters the esophagus, the child may smell like vomit, although he has not vomited.

Directly, breath aromas are not a symptom of the disease, they do not need to be treated, but together with other signs they give impetus to the correct diagnosis if you see the signs: heat, runny nose, unnatural color of urine, pain, the child gets tired quickly. If the smell does not go away for months, go to see your pediatrician. The doctor will conduct a comprehensive examination.

How to get rid of bad breath?

If the “aroma” is the result of a disease, follow the doctor’s instructions. Be sure to follow the prescribed procedures and undergo the prescribed additional examination. When the root cause is eliminated, the smell goes away. What to do if the child is healthy, but the smell is still present? The well-known doctor Komarovsky in Russia gives recommendations:

The baby's mucous membranes should be moist - this main principle in protection against viruses and microbes that infect the nasopharynx. If the air at home is dry, you will need to ventilate it more often and install a humidifier. Let it work even at night, because during sleep the walls of the nasopharynx dry out. In the absence of a humidifier - place basins with water, hang wet towels - choose any way to achieve humidity of at least 50%. Humidity indicator - dry crusts in the nose; if they are present, hydration is required.
Maintain plenty of fluids; the child’s body constantly needs clean water. drinking water. This is especially important during illness. If a preschooler does not drink water well, you should come up with games with drinking water, get a beautiful mug or sippy cup, and teach him to pour water on his own. Liquid removes toxins and breakdown products, it is important to drink a lot.
Keep your mouth clean. You need to start hygiene from the first days of life. The baby's gums and tongue are wiped with a cotton swab; with the appearance of the first tooth, use a soft brush. You need to clean your teeth and tongue twice a day using toothpaste, rinsing after each meal.
The baby's diet should remain varied, including cereals, vegetables, fruits, fermented milk products (in the absence of individual contraindications), some meat, fish and other protein foods. Reduce your intake of sugar and sugar-containing foods. Replace with fruits, candied fruits, dried fruits, marshmallows. Start the first complementary foods with vegetables; do not rush to introduce meat into the diet. If your breath smells bad after eating food, it is better not to give such food for now. Avoid carbonated drinks and packaged juices.
It is acceptable to give your child water acidified with lemon to stimulate salivation. If the baby doesn’t like the water, in the future it’s enough to show the lemon, saliva will come out automatically. Offer sour fruits, they are useful for maintaining the microflora of the oral cavity and intestines.
Daily walks are required. If the child walks for 2-4 hours every day in good weather, this will strengthen the immune system. The body will begin to cope more successfully with germs and bacteria.
Get regular check-ups with your pediatrician and dentist on time, even if there is no reason to visit the doctor. The doctor will assess the child’s development, check health indicators, examine mucous membranes, and give advice.

How to mask bad breath if you can’t eliminate it completely

One of the causes of bad breath is taking medications. The aroma will accompany the child until the medication is stopped, becoming stronger with each dose received. Or, a more frequent case, is when the baby eats something odorous (fresh onions), and you need to take the child to classes or on a visit. How to mask or eliminate an unpleasant odor:

Brush your teeth, gums and tongue with a mint or pine aroma paste, rinse your mouth with an alcohol-free mouthwash.
Hold it in your mouth and chew another product with a strong but pleasant odor. For example, mint or lemon balm (possibly dried), citrus fruit zest.
Rinse your mouth with a decoction of herbs. They remove odors well: oak bark, mint, chamomile, lemon balm, rose hips.
Give your teenager a coffee bean or a piece of ginger. Coffee absorbs foreign odors.
Use an alcohol-free refreshing spray or sugar-free chewing gum.

Don't mask the smell unless you know the reason. Perhaps this is the only sign of a hidden disease.

Your baby's scent is light and delicate. With proper care it will remain pleasant for a long time. long years. Compliance with the rules of hygiene, daily routine and nutrition and timely contact with a pediatrician is the key to good health for children. Take care of him.

All parents are concerned about the well-being of their children, and their child’s bad breath causes concern. Its appearance not only interferes with full communication with peers and the social development of the baby, but can also be a symptom of one of the serious diseases.

Usually in infants and one year old child Breath smells like milk. During this period of life, lactic acid bacteria work especially actively in the growing body, and their metabolic products suppress any foreign odor. The mouth of a child 2 years and older should also not smell bad. But often children develop a putrid or sour smell from their breath - this phenomenon is called halitosis (or halitosis).

We suggest you figure out what factors can provoke bad breath in a child, and what parents should do to identify and eliminate its cause.

Why does halitosis occur?

Various reasons can cause a child to have bad breath:

Halitosis is often caused by eating foods with a strong and persistent aroma (such as cabbage, onions, garlic, etc.). Moreover, the child’s breath smells not only after taking them, but even the next day, since aromatic substances are well absorbed by the mucous membrane. When some hard cheeses are digested, sulfur compounds enter the intestinal lumen, which have a characteristic persistent odor.
Often, bad breath in a child can be caused by an unbalanced diet. For example, the answer to the question of why a child’s breath smells rotten is often an excess of protein foods in the diet. The body cannot quickly digest them, so rotting processes begin in the gastrointestinal tract. Excessive consumption of foods rich in carbohydrates causes fermentation in the intestines. Eating sweet foods provokes the active development of bacteria in the oral cavity, the waste products of which also smell unpleasant.
Common causes of bad breath in children are anxiety, stress and other disorders emotional state. With strong experiences, the secretion of saliva decreases, the mucous membrane of the mouth is not cleansed naturally and deposits appear on it. Such plaque is an excellent breeding ground for the development of pathogenic microorganisms. The use of certain medications (antiallergic or diuretic) also leads to impaired salivary secretion.
One of the answers to the question of why a child’s breath smells is poor oral hygiene. With irregular brushing, deposits appear on the teeth, gums and tongue in which microorganisms develop.

Make sure your child brushes their teeth regularly

The listed reasons can cause halitosis in a healthy baby, but in some cases such manifestations are symptoms of a serious disease. Halitosis often indicates diseases of the nasopharynx or oral cavity. Caries and gum disease provoke the smell of rot in the mouth. The same effect occurs in inflammatory processes of the mouth and nasopharynx: increased secretion mucus, sore throat, gingivitis, stomatitis, inflammation of the adenoids and even a common runny nose.

The second most common cause of halitosis is diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: the esophagus, stomach, digestive glands, and one of the intestinal sections.

If the baby has an unpleasant odor, parents must first normalize his diet, personally monitor oral hygiene, and eliminate the causes of the worries. If these measures do not bring the desired result within a few days, you should consult a doctor for an examination and prescribe appropriate treatment.

Survey

In case of halitosis, the first thing you should do is visit your dentist. In addition to the treatment of carious teeth and gum disease, the microflora of the oral cavity is examined in the dental office, which will help clarify the picture of what is happening to the baby.

If no dental problems are identified, you need to visit a pediatrician.

At the pediatrician's appointment

Various diseases have their own specific smell, so it is important to correctly describe its character to the doctor:

With stomach diseases or ulcers, the gastrointestinal tract often smells like rotten eggs.
Sour breath odor in infants and older children indicates increased secretion of the stomach.
With low acidity, the body does not have time to completely digest food, so the oral cavity may smell rotten.
Diabetes mellitus is the reason why a child’s breath smells like acetone.
In case of kidney disease, it smells like ammonia, and in case of liver problems, it smells like raw liver.
Metabolic disorders can cause the smell of sour cabbage.

To determine the exact cause of bad breath, the doctor prescribes additional tests, including blood, stool, urine tests, ultrasound examination of internal organs, as well as consultation with other specialists (otolaryngologist, gastroenterologist, endocrinologist).

How to eliminate an unpleasant odor?

Since the appearance of halitosis is influenced by various factors, each case must be considered individually. If its cause is a disease, the problem should be dealt with by an appropriate specialist. Once the underlying cause is treated, halitosis usually goes away as well.

To eliminate halitosis that is not caused by a disease, follow these recommendations:

Strictly follow the rules of hygiene. Bad breath in a child 1 year of age and older often disappears if you brush your teeth twice a day with a special silicone brush and clean your tongue with a gauze swab moistened with boiled water. Older children should brush their teeth themselves with a soft baby toothbrush. Parents should teach how to properly brush their teeth and tongue.

If a child refuses to brush his teeth, he should not be forced to do so. Coercion causes a negative reaction, and at the slightest opportunity the baby will avoid the procedure. It is better to teach gradually, starting with rinsing the mouth after each meal. Also, bright colors will help you get used to the procedure quickly. Toothbrush or a rinse cup with your favorite cartoon character.

Normalize your baby's diet. Instead of sweets and other foods containing sugar, it is better to introduce him to honey and dried fruits. Fresh vegetables and fruits also help eliminate the manifestations of halitosis. Their use reduces the number of bacteria in the oral cavity; they also help clean the surface of the mucous membrane and eliminate plaque formed on it.
Always listen to your baby's problems, even if they seem funny. In stressful situations, let's more water- this normalizes salivation.

Important! Children should not use mouthwashes, special lozenges or breath fresheners. They are also contraindicated in lotions that contain alcohol. It is better to rinse your mouth with decoctions of medicinal herbs: chamomile, sage, oak bark. These decoctions do not have bad taste, so children will be happy to perform the procedure.

Halitosis is a disease that not only creates difficulties for a child when communicating with peers, it can also indicate serious disturbances in the functioning of the body. Therefore, when an unpleasant odor appears, all measures must be taken to identify and eliminate its causes.

Mothers constantly monitor the health of their children. When a special smell appears from the mouth, they begin to look for the cause of this pathology. Bad breath causes different reasons, the main one of which is irregular oral care. However, in in some cases Symptoms that appear may indicate the onset of serious problems with the baby’s health and the need to visit a pediatrician. Why does my 2 year old child have bad breath?

Types of bad breath in children

There are several types of odor that a child may experience. To determine it, you do not need to visit a specialist, but you can do it yourself.

Types of odors:

Chemical. It occurs when taking antibiotics or other medications. Sometimes this may indicate the presence of diseases of the digestive system.
Sweetish. The smell may indicate liver problems in your baby. To avoid serious problems in the future, you must urgently contact a gastroenterologist.
Rotten. Sometimes when a child burps, a disgusting smell reminiscent of rotten eggs appears. This may indicate diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Sometimes such a smell is felt with severe lesions of the excretory system.

If a child is 2 years old and has bad breath, then the mother needs to go with the baby to a medical facility.

Food

The child is old enough to try some foods without an adult. A temporary deterioration in the smell of breath can be caused by garlic, onions, celery, and smoked meats. When food debris is mixed with saliva, various enzymatic reactions occur in the mouth in the form of fermentation. Bad breath in a child (2 years old) appears for the same reason, so parents need to brush the baby’s teeth to eliminate it.

Digestive system problems

A particularly nasty smell in a baby can be caused by heartburn or belching, which occurs constantly. The mother needs to watch the baby after eating. If a baby develops dysbacteriosis, he will be bothered by flatulence and increased gas production.

If there are problems with the sphincter, then some of the stomach contents can be thrown into the esophagus, which causes acidic breath in the child. Along with this symptom, there may be bitterness in the mouth, nausea, hiccups, and vomiting. When intestinal pathology occurs, a black coating is noticeable on the baby’s teeth, which encircles their necks. When parents notice a special odor from a child’s mouth, it is best to go to see a specialist.

Oral hygiene

Poor quality dental care contributes to the formation of plaque, in which pathogenic microorganisms constantly multiply. They cause bad breath in a child. 2 years is the time when the baby’s teeth continue to cut, so it is extremely important to prevent unsanitary oral conditions during this period. Parents should constantly take care of the cleanliness of their baby's mouth. If he refuses to brush his teeth, then perhaps the reason is a toothbrush or toothpaste that he does not like. The sooner you can form the right attitude towards oral care, the faster situations related to bad breath will be resolved.

Parents should monitor this process constantly. Sometimes they do this until the child is 7-10 years old.

Pathologies of ENT organs

The oral cavity and adjacent organs influence the content of saliva, its composition and properties. If chronic diseases of the ENT organs appear, then its viscosity increases. This is caused not only by the microflora of the oral cavity, but also by the habit of not closing the mouth. Saliva normally cleans teeth of food debris. During sleep or mouth breathing, this process is disrupted. Instead of a way to cleanse teeth, saliva turns into a factor that promotes the proliferation of microorganisms and bad breath in a 2-year-old child.

Colds and acute respiratory infections

When a child has a sore throat, along with a fever, a bad breath appears, which becomes foul. Children 2 years of age are prone to developing this pathology because they begin to attend kindergarten and their immune system weakens.

Viral stomatitis is characterized by viscous saliva, redness and swelling of the gums. When the tongue is affected, plaque appears on it, as well as pain when caring for teeth and eating.

Bad breath in a child (2 years old) occurs due to stomatitis, which is characteristic of diseases such as chicken pox, scarlet fever and herperangina.

Doctor Komarovsky about the causes of odor

Factors that cause bad breath in a child can be of different nature. If the child is 2 years old, bad breath may be caused by bacterial growth. After all, microbes secrete waste products that smell like sulfur. Typically, saliva has a detrimental effect on microorganisms, but if its properties and composition are changed, then they begin to multiply intensively. As a result, there are bacterial infections in the nose, bronchi and trachea.

As Dr. Komarovsky says, bad breath in a child (2 years old) cannot be caused by diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, because it does not penetrate outside due to the closing of the stomach valve. But the food your baby eats can negatively affect the freshness of your breath. This usually occurs when eating garlic or onions. This smell should not cause concern because it goes away on its own.

Komarovsky believes that bad breath in a child can occur due to disease of the maxillary sinuses. This is due to the appearance of pus in them. An unpleasant odor is present in sore throat and other inflammatory processes in the larynx and tonsils. Even an ordinary runny nose causes the child to breathe through his nose, saliva dries out and pathogens develop.

The real cause of bad breath in a child (2 years old) is pathological condition teeth. If there is swelling and redness of the gums, caries, then it is necessary to urgently contact a pediatric dentist.

The doctor emphasizes that the specificity of this indicator also plays a role in determining the cause of bad breath. If you smell acetone, your child may develop diseases such as diabetes or gallbladder disease.

Komarovsky warns that the sweetish smell should make parents wary, because it is accompanied by serious pathologies of the liver or kidneys.

In any case, the child’s unpleasant breathing is a reason to urgently contact a medical facility.

According to Komarovsky, parents can cope with changes in the microflora of the oral cavity on their own. To do this, it is necessary to maintain the indoor humidity level in the region of 50-70%. To do this you need to purchase a humidifier.

To achieve a sufficient amount of saliva, the baby needs to drink constantly lemon water. It consists of ordinary water, lemon juice and a slice of lemon. An acidic environment can irritate the receptors, so active production of saliva will occur and the microbes will die.

If bad breath occurs due to a runny nose, the child should be given saline rinses and given more warm liquids.

Diagnostics

If an unpleasant odor occurs, a child (he is 2 years old or older, it does not matter) is taken to the dentist. If the doctor does not observe any pathology associated with teeth, then you should contact an endocrinologist, gastroenterologist or otolaryngologist.

The baby is still too young to complain, but the mother usually notices the smell. When diagnosing, its nature is determined - constant or periodic, and the time of formation (morning or evening).

It is important for the doctor to find out where the smell comes from. It happens that the research and tests did not reveal any pathology. Perhaps it individual feature a child that can be found very rarely. In this case, you should monitor your oral hygiene more carefully.

How to get rid of the smell?

If a child experiences bad breath, all measures should be taken to get rid of such a symptom.

First of all, if a child (he is 2.5 years old or older) has bad breath, he needs to be shown to a pediatrician to determine the exact cause. Effective treatment Usually prescribed by a doctor, you should not treat the baby yourself.

Mom can do the following:

to normalize the composition of saliva, you need to create an appropriate microclimate in the children's room;
give your child more water;
regularly visit a doctor to check the condition of the oral cavity;
If your nose is stuffy, you need to rinse it with saline solution.

To get rid of bad breath forever, you need to approach the problem comprehensively. The correct treatment is prescribed by the doctor, but parents must also follow individual recommendations.

If a child is 2 years old and has bad breath, he should not eat a lot of sweets. It is best to give honey instead of sweets, which has bactericidal properties.

The baby needs to eat a large amount of sour fruits. They cause increased salivation and significantly reduce odor.

Parents should ensure regular oral hygiene, which should begin from the age of 6 months. You can buy special soft brushes for this. When the child grows up, he will learn to brush his teeth himself. His parents should teach him how to properly clean his tongue and cheeks. Mothers can do this by example.

It is good to rinse your mouth before going to bed with decoctions of medicinal plants, which will help improve the microflora of the oral cavity and freshen your breath.

Conclusion

In preventing an unpleasant odor in a child, following simple rules for oral care will provide invaluable help. Proper nutrition is important, eliminating sweets from the diet and including fresh fruits. These recommendations will help significantly reduce the likelihood of odor. Sometimes this is not enough, so correct treatment Only a doctor can prescribe it.

Immediately after birth, the baby has a very pleasant smell. This is due to its “sterility”. The newborn has not yet had time to fully encounter the harmful effects of the environment, so the microflora of his body is clean and ideal. However, with age, parents may notice a rather unpleasant and even repulsive odor from the child’s mouth. This worries many, so let’s look at the causes of this pathology.

Bad breath in a child is a symptom, the cause of which must be found out. Bad breath - normal or pathological?

Why does a healthy child have a strange smell from his breath? Let's consider the physiological reasons for this phenomenon:

eating highly sweet, carbohydrate-containing foods or foods with a specific odor (onions, garlic);
drying of the nasopharyngeal mucosa and saliva due to excessive physical activity, stress or after sleep;
use of drugs that cause odor;
a small child may put something in his nose (for example, a piece of washcloth, rubber), which will cause the object to rot and create an odor;
hormonal changes during puberty, lack of vitamins, microelements and iodine in the body.

The main causes of unpleasant odor

Bad breath occurs at any age and can be associated with rot, iodine, acid, acetone, urine or rotten eggs. With the transition to solid food and the appearance of teeth, infants and children over one year old have leftover food in the mouth, which leads to the proliferation of bacteria and fungi in the body. With proper care and oral hygiene, the odor usually disappears unless it is a symptom of a disease.

Let's consider the main causes of pathology:

insufficient hygiene;
diseases of the oral cavity;
diseases of the ENT organs;
bronchial infections;
digestive system disease;
damage to the liver, kidneys;
diabetes.

Neglect of oral hygiene

The most common cause of morning odor is poor or improper child oral hygiene or the consumption of foods that cause a specific odor (for example, garlic).

Diseases of teeth and gums

Bad breath is accompanied by almost all diseases of the teeth and gums:

caries;
gingivitis;
stomatitis;
periodontal disease;
tartar, etc.

Diseases of the nasopharynx
Bad breath will occur with diseases of the ENT organs

Bad breath may be a consequence of a developing disease of the ENT organs. The main diseases causing pathology:

Acute, purulent or chronic tonsillitis (angina). As a result of the proliferation of bacteria in the nasopharynx, purulent plugs form on the tonsils, and the tonsils become inflamed. A child with a sore throat feels unwell, has pain when swallowing, and has a fever. Mucus with bacteria accumulates in the throat, which causes a putrid, sour smell.
Sinusitis, acute or chronic rhinitis also causes the appearance of this unpleasant pathology. Purulent mucus flows down the back wall of the nasopharynx, stagnation of snot and pus occurs, so the child smells unpleasant.
Neoplasms and cysts in the throat. This pathology is the most dangerous, since the only symptom may be a putrid odor from the mouth. Often the disease is asymptomatic.

Lung infections

Digestive diseases

When, when communicating with a child, relatives notice that his breath smells sour or rotten, then most likely the baby has digestive problems.

Gastrointestinal diseases are also the cause of bad breath

The appearance of an unpleasant odor may indicate:

gastritis;
disruption of the stomach;
excessive secretion of gastric juice;
duodenal disease;
neoplasms and tumors in the digestive organs;
disruption of the valves in the stomach;
poor nutrition.

Liver diseases

The appearance of a sweetish odor from a child’s mouth when exhaling indicates liver disease. If the disease occurs in an acute form, other symptoms also occur: changes in the color of the nails and skin, a yellowish coating on the tongue, itching and rash on the body. These symptoms indicate acute liver failure, disruption of its function and blood flow.

Liver disease is indicated by a sweetish or rotten odor not only from the mouth. Over time, the baby’s skin begins to exude the same aroma.

If additional symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor, who will refer you for tests and an ultrasound. If measures are not taken in time and treatment is not started, the child may fall into a coma.

Kidney diseases

Your child's breath may smell like urine or ammonia. This pathology is associated with:

unhealthy diet;
taking medications;
kidney disease (pyelonephritis, stones, neoplasms).

Kidney function is affected by a lack of fluid in the body. If a child drinks little water and his diet mainly consists of carbohydrate foods, this leads to increased stress on the urinary system. The kidneys fail to cope with their functions, urine stagnates in the body and decay products accumulate, which cause the smell of ammonia.

Diabetes

To avoid bad breath in diabetes mellitus, you must adhere to a special diet

Does the appearance of odor depend on the age of the child?

What is the treatment of pathology?

Unpleasant oral odor caused by physiological reasons does not require treatment. It is often enough to review the child’s diet and quality, limit the consumption of carbohydrate and sweet foods, monitor the amount of fluid consumed and proper oral hygiene. If the smell does not go away after a week, this indicates some kind of disease. This smell will go away when the cause is identified and eliminated. To do this, you should contact a specialist.

Prevention
From a very early age, it is necessary to instill in your child the habit of caring for his teeth.

To prevent oral odor, the baby must be taught to take care of oral hygiene from the moment of teething. In addition, starting from six months, the baby is given clean boiled water between meals, since at this age the liquid contained in breast milk is no longer enough to maintain water balance.

From the age of 2, parents brush their child’s teeth with a toothbrush. A three-year-old child should do this himself under parental supervision. From the age of 10, children can use dental floss (see also: electric toothbrushes for children aged 6 years and older). The child’s diet should include fish, dairy products, fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins and fiber. Parents also need to monitor the amount of clean water the child drinks (not taking into account teas, juices, compotes, etc.). Standards for its use:

Most parents are concerned about the health of their children. Any deviation can cause concern for the baby. A child may develop a specific odor from his or her mouth for several reasons. In some cases, the help of a medical specialist is required.

Types of bad breath

Before you start panicking, you should pay attention to the characteristics of the smell. You can do this yourself, without involving a doctor.

Attention! Parents may notice that previously diagnosed viral disease there was a strange smell. Pus, plaque and rapidly spreading infection cause halitosis.

How to get rid

Before making a choice in favor of any solution, it is necessary to trace the causes of bad odor. Parents can eliminate some factors on their own. If the problem lies inside the body, then you need to seek the help of a doctor as soon as possible. If you have bad breath, you should consult a general practitioner and specialists – a gastroenterologist, a dentist.

Food

An unpleasant odor can be caused not only by diseases of the internal organs. This symptom often accompanies caries. Dental problems are a consequence of calcium deficiency, excessive consumption of sweets, and hereditary diseases.

Children love tasty and sweet foods and do not understand that this can lead to health problems. But you shouldn’t completely limit your consumption of sweets. Products need to be replaced healthy products: sweets - honey, baked goods - fruits and berries.

In some cases, fruits will provide invaluable help in getting rid of halitosis. Useful properties Apples help cleanse the oral cavity of impurities. They also replenish the deficiency of vitamins and iron in the body.

Know! The acidic environment in the oral cavity promotes the formation of increased salivation, which, in turn, helps to quickly get rid of the unpleasant odor.

Diseases

The development of halitosis is directly affected by diseases of various systems:

ENT diseases. The structure and properties of saliva are affected by the condition of the upper respiratory tract. Pathological changes when bacteria enter, they are characterized by the appearance of plaque on the oral mucous membranes, the formation of ulcers, and the release of an unpleasant odor. In a normal state, the microflora of the oral cavity eliminates pathogenic bacteria; during illness, saliva turns into an environment favorable for the proliferation of pathogens.
ARVI and colds. The immunity of young children is quite weak. When visiting kindergarten they begin to suffer from sore throat, tonsillitis and pharyngitis. Viral stomatitis, which is characterized by thickening of saliva, inflammation and swelling of the gums, and the formation of erosions and ulcers, also occurs no less often. Stomatitis is a symptom of measles and herpangina.
Pathologies of the respiratory system. A putrid or purulent odor accompanies lung diseases - abscess or pneumonia, bronchiectasis, bronchitis. Adds to the unpleasant odor coughing with sputum, febrile body temperature, loss of strength.

Popular pediatrician Evgeny Komarovsky claims that bad breath in a child can occur due to purulent diseases. These include:

sinusitis;
sore throat;
sinusitis.

Important! A common runny nose prevents a child from breathing through his nose. Due to the fact that the mouth is constantly open, saliva dries out, and pathogenic bacteria begin to actively multiply. Lack of moisture is also cited as one of the causes of bad breath.

Problems with the gastrointestinal tract

Young children often experience regurgitation, and schoolchildren aged 8 years and older often experience belching and heartburn. All this may indicate improper eating or use harmful products. Such signs may be accompanied by bloating and flatulence. Dysbacteriosis is often observed in children.

If the problem lies in the imperfection of the sphincter, then the liquid thrown into the esophagus provokes increased acidity. A burning sensation, bitterness appears in the mouth, and vomiting may occur. The baby's breath becomes sour.

Komarovsky says that a baby at one or two years old cannot develop an unpleasant odor due to the backflow of gastric contents into the esophagus. The main thing that can affect the color of your breath is the food you eat.

Attention! Onions, garlic or corn will definitely leave a aroma on a child from 2 to 5 years old, which will disappear on its own after some time. Therefore, in such situations there is absolutely nothing to worry about.

If there is a gastrointestinal pathology, the first sign, in addition to an unpleasant odor from the mouth, will be dark plaque on the teeth. In this case, a gastroenterologist will help to avoid the development of complications.

Maintaining hygiene rules

Children over 6 years old are recommended to use electric toothbrushes. They clean the oral cavity well, and using the devices does not require much effort. Almost every child likes such devices.
It is necessary to teach your child to rinse his mouth after every meal. To avoid negative reactions and opposition from the baby, you can purchase mouthwashes with different flavors. It will also be useful to rinse your mouth with decoctions before going to bed. medicinal herbs– chamomile or sage.
After 10 years, a child can use dental floss. This procedure does not take much time, and simple steps help eliminate food residues on the teeth.
Many children from 7 years old use chewing gum, which are advertised everywhere. It is worth dissuading the student of the veracity of the advertisement. Chewing gum eliminates bad breath for a short time.

Proper oral care and increased attention to the health of their own child will help parents avoid many problems. Besides, correct mode will instill independence, accuracy and consistency in your baby. In the future, parents will be able to relax - a child who has been taught basic hygiene rules will be less susceptible to pathogenic organisms than his peers.

Children usually smell very nice, especially their own - any parent will tell you that. But it often happens that suddenly, in the absence of any obvious illness, an unpleasant, pungent odor begins to be felt from the child’s mouth. Why is this happening? And does this smell from the child’s mouth indicate the development of some serious infection? And the main thing that worries parents is how to get rid of such a problem?

A sharp unpleasant odor from the mouth, including in a child, on the tongue medical terms called halitosis (or halitosis). Unfortunately, it can be observed in children of any age (sometimes even in infants), and, accordingly, cause a “bouquet” of worries and worries in parents. What if the sharp, nasty odor from a child’s mouth really is a sign of a serious illness?

Causes of bad breath in children

Where does bad breath come from? Doctors have found that the main “producers” of the unbearable sulfur-ammonium “amber” are special bacteria, the very essence of whose existence is to break down the proteins we get from food.

Moreover, this act of splitting occurs in us, both adults and children, directly in the mouth. Actually, this is the first step on the long journey digestive tract. During the decomposition process, some sulfur-containing compounds are inevitably formed, which, in fact, emit a terrible odor.

However, nature foresaw this moment and added a special component to human saliva (namely - specific type streptococcus), which in theory should neutralize the unbearable “aroma” of sulfur. But in practice there are often plenty of examples where this does not happen. Typically for two reasons:

Either there is too little saliva in the mouth;
Or there are too many bacteria in the mouth that break down proteins (and there are too many of them when they have something to eat - that is, when food debris or dried mucus constantly accumulates in the mouth).

In adults, there may be a third explanation - there is enough saliva in the mouth, but it does not contain that same “sanitary” streptococcus. However, this cause of bad breath has nothing to do with children - their saliva always has the “correct” composition.

So, the problem of bad odor is always related to saliva. And attempts to “link” bad breath in a child to problems with the stomach, gall bladder or intestines are completely unfounded. The problem of bad odor in the mouth concerns only the oral (and sometimes also nasal) cavity and is limited exclusively to it.

Factors that contribute to the development of an unpleasant odor in a child:

Dry air in the room where the child lives;
The child moves actively and sweats a lot (which also contributes to dry mouth);
Any (during any cold, the respiratory tract becomes dry and an excess amount of mucus is formed in them - on the one hand, these are additional proteins for bacteria, the breakdown of which produces sulfur compounds, on the other, an obstacle to the “work” of salivary streptococcus);
Any chronic inflammation in the respiratory tract (whether it be, or, or);
Bad teeth with signs of caries or periodontal disease;
(which also causes accumulation of excess mucus in the nasal and oral cavities);

Bad breath in a child: a symptom of a disease or an incorrect menu?

In reality - neither one nor the other! Bad breath has nothing to do with digestion, or with any infections, or indeed with anything other than the condition of the oral mucosa.

So, in almost 100% of cases when a child has bad breath (up to 13-14 years old), this is not related to any serious illness. Moreover, this phenomenon is in no way connected with any other area child's body except for the oral and nasal cavities. Parents, do not be alarmed: no matter how sharp and bad the child’s breath suddenly smells, everything is still fine with the gastrointestinal tract system. The cause of “amber” should be sought exclusively in the mouth, or, in extreme cases, in the nose.

So if you went to the doctor with a problem of bad breath in your child, and he prescribed you a “bouquet” of tests (demanding to study feces, urine, blood - whatever), this doctor, to put it mildly, is mistaken. Everything that is “produced” by the body below the level of the mouth, in in this case It's completely pointless to study.

There is only one thing that needs to be clarified - why does the baby develop bacteria that should normally be suppressed by the components of saliva? Perhaps there is not enough saliva... Or perhaps there are too many bacteria (for example, if the teeth are rotten). It is also possible that the child’s adenoids are inflamed - mucus accumulates on them and, undergoing the process of decay, is a source of unpleasant odor.

How to eliminate bad breath from a child

To eliminate bad breath in a child, it is necessary to solve two main problems: eliminate dental problems (if any) and restore salivation. To do this you should do the following:

periodically give the child water with lemon to drink;
organize a humid climate in the room (air humidity should be between 60-70%);
check the condition of your teeth at the dentist;
if the nose does not breathe, rinse the nose with saline solution (and do this several times during the day);
check with an otorhinolaryngologist the condition of the child’s adenoids;

So, by and large, contrary to popular belief among parents, bad or pungent odor from a child’s mouth is not medical problem- There is nothing special to treat here. The only thing that should be done is to check the condition of the baby’s teeth and tongue (whether food debris accumulates there), check whether inflammatory process in the throat, and finally find out whether the child’s nose is breathing normally.

If the baby is in perfect order on all these points, then a humid climate in the house will definitely help solve the problem of bad breath, which will restore proper salivation in the child and prevent the mucous membrane from drying out. That, in fact, is all the wisdom of dealing with unpleasant odors!

Every mother is sensitive to the health of her child, so any changes in his condition cause her concern. And one of these changes in the child’s body is the appearance of bad breath.

Causes of bad breath in children

Normally, a large number of different microbes are present in the oral cavity. Some of them are called conditionally pathogenic, i.e. does not cause the development of disease in healthy body. The second part is non-pathogenic, which does not cause the development of pathology under any conditions. Both are in balance with each other. However, various factors such as stress, fasting, fatigue, hypothermia, frequent colds, various violations in immune system, taking medications causes disruption of this balance. And then the conditionally pathogenic flora begins to activate and causes the development of changes in the oral cavity.

Normally in children who are on breastfeeding Your breath should smell like milk, because... At this age, lactic bacteria are actively working in the body, which suppress the development of harmful microflora. Older children also should not have any bad or specific smell from their mouth, and when it suddenly appears, you need to analyze the situation and try to understand why this is happening.

If your child does not suffer from any chronic diseases, do not rush to sound the alarm. Even healthy children may experience altered breathing from time to time. This happens due to the following reasons:
- eating certain foods with a strong smell (garlic, onions, radishes, some juices, cabbage). Often this smell accompanies the child the next day;
- incorrect, unbalanced nutrition. Eating large amounts of protein foods promotes putrefactive processes, because it takes a long time to digest in the stomach. Abuse of large amounts of carbohydrates (fruits, grapes, legumes) leads to fermentation processes in the gastrointestinal tract;
- hard cheese when digested, it causes the formation of sulfur compounds, which are released with exhaled air;
- excitement, emotional stress cause a decrease in salivation and the appearance of an unpleasant odor;
- the child’s reluctance to brush their teeth well and regularly;
- the formation of plaque, which occurs when food particles are retained in the folds of the mucous membrane of the tongue and tonsils, and as a consequence the development of putrefactive microbes;
- sweet foods cause the growth of bacteria in the mouth, which have a specific odor.

How to get rid of bad breath

If the parents and the child wish, these factors can be easily eliminated. To do this, you need to eliminate or reduce your consumption of sweets. If you are not allergic to bee products, it is useful to use honey instead of sugar. At the same time, you need to give your child more vegetables and fruits. Apples and carrots are especially good; they cleanse the mucous membrane of the tongue and gums and increase salivation.

Oral care is very important for fresh breath. You need to brush your teeth and tongue at least 2 times a day, and preferably after each meal. During the day, rinse your mouth after eating with boiled water or infusions of medicinal herbs (chamomile, calendula). Teach your child to use dental floss, which cleans the interdental spaces well. For older children, allow them to use special, alcohol-free mouth rinses. During times of serious anxiety, suggest drinking more fluids. These recommendations will help rid your child of bad odor within a few days.

Diseases accompanied by bad breath

If all the conditions are met, and bad breath still persists, you need to consult a doctor to find more serious reasons. To do this, you should determine and be able to describe to the doctor the characteristics of the smell, its similarity to a certain substance. This will help the doctor guess in which body system the failure occurred. For example, some diseases are characterized by specific symptoms:

The smell of rotten eggs from the mouth due to inflammation of the stomach, peptic ulcer
sour smell when stomach contents reflux into the esophagus, with increased stomach acidity
putrid odor in diseases of the esophagus and inflammation of the stomach with low acidity
the smell of acetone in diabetic patients
ammonia odor in children with kidney disease
sweetish smell of raw liver in liver diseases
the smell of boiled cabbage or manure in children with hereditary diseases metabolism

If we talk about the causes of pathological breath, there are many others.

This may be facilitated by the presence of adenoid vegetations in a child - growths of lymphoid tissue in the nasopharynx and its chronic inflammation. Mucus accumulates on their surface, which has an unpleasant purulent odor. Enlarged adenoids prevent the free passage of air into the respiratory tract through the nose, so the child begins to breathe through the mouth. The mucous membrane of the oropharynx easily dries out and then becomes injured.

Past or current diseases of the throat and oral cavity (sore throat, stomatitis, pharyngitis), as well as acute and chronic diseases of the respiratory tract, are accompanied by the appearance of an unpleasant odor.

Dental caries, gum inflammation, and fungal infections in the oral cavity are often the cause of altered breathing. Normally, the mucous membranes of the human body contain a fungus of the genus Candida, which under certain conditions causes inflammation of the mucous membrane. This happens in the oral cavity as well. Appears on lips, gums, tongue white coating, which has a specific odor and contributes to unpleasant sensations.

There are several other causes of bad breath:

To find out the cause of bad breath, first of all you should contact a pediatrician, who will talk with the mother and child, carefully examine the second and draw up an examination plan, during which it will become clear whether the child has a particular pathology. The examination should include blood, urine, stool tests, ultrasound of internal organs, and consultations with specialists.

Pediatrician S.V. Sytnik