Metronidazole's effect in treating bad breath

Metronidazole is a common anti-anaerobic drug. We know that there are many reasons for bad breath, among which anaerobic bacteria are also an important cause of bad breath. Bad breath caused by this reason can be treated with metronidazole. In daily life, you should brush your teeth in time, rinse your mouth after eating, and eat less spicy and irritating food to prevent indigestion and excessive liver fire.

Metronidazole Indications

It is mainly used to treat or prevent systemic or local infections caused by the above-mentioned anaerobic bacteria, such as anaerobic infections in the abdominal cavity, digestive tract, female reproductive system, lower respiratory tract, skin and soft tissue, bones and joints. It is also effective for sepsis, endocarditis, meningeal infection and colitis caused by the use of antibiotics. Tetanus is often treated with tetanus antitoxin (TAT). It can also be used for anaerobic oral infections.

Causes of Bad Breath

(1) Oral diseases: People with poor oral hygiene and oral diseases such as caries, gingivitis, periodontitis, oral mucositis, tooth decay, and periodontal disease are prone to bacterial growth in their mouths, especially anaerobic bacteria, which decompose to produce sulfides, which emit a disgusting smell and cause bad breath.

(2) Gastrointestinal diseases, such as peptic ulcer, chronic gastritis, functional dyspepsia, etc., may be accompanied by bad breath. Recently, we have also found that people infected with Helicobacter pylori, which causes many gastric diseases, have a significantly higher incidence of bad breath than those who are not infected. After the eradication of Helicobacter pylori, the symptoms of bad breath are significantly alleviated. The reason may be that Helicobacter pylori infection directly produces sulfides, causing bad breath.

(3) People who smoke, drink alcohol, drink coffee, and often eat spicy foods such as onions, garlic, and leeks, or who are addicted to smelly foods such as stinky tofu and rotten eggs, are also prone to bad breath.

(4) Acute and chronic rhinitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis, especially atrophic rhinitis with obvious odor;

(5) Dieting to lose weight, or being unable to eat due to illness, or the reduced salivary gland function of the elderly, or endocrine disorders in women during menstruation, which leads to reduced saliva secretion, favoring the growth of anaerobic bacteria, thus causing bad breath. Or like a binge eater.

(6) Bad breath in teenage girls: Some girls in puberty have ovarian dysfunction and low sex hormone levels. The resistance of oral tissue decreases, making it easy to be infected by bacteria, resulting in bad breath.

(7) Drugs that can reduce saliva secretion, such as certain sedatives, antihypertensive drugs, atropine-type drugs, diuretics, and traditional Chinese medicines with warming and tonic effects. Some people breathe with their mouths open while sleeping for a long time, which leads to dry mouth and bad breath.

(8) Patients with diabetic ketoacidosis, hepatic coma, and some respiratory diseases such as bronchitis, bronchiectasis, sinusitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, lung cysts, etc. may also develop bad breath.