Personality and psychological profile for patients with and without halitosis: A case-control study

Objective: To compare the personalities, social avoidance and distress, and anxiety status of Chinese patients with and without objective halitosis, and investigate the association among these psychological disorders.Methods: Patients who complained of bad breath and diagnosed with objective halitosis were enrolled into the halitosis group, while patients without objective halitosis were enrolled into the control group. The questionnaires included the sociodemographic profile of the participants, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SAD), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI).Results: A total of 280 patients were assigned into objective halitosis group (n = 146) and control group (n = 134). The extraversion subscales (E) score of the EPQ in the halitosis group were significantly lower than that in the control group (p = 0.001). The total SAD score and proportion of patients with anxiety symptoms in the BAI scale in the objective halitosis was significantly higher than that in the control group (p < 0.05). There was a negative correlation between the extraversion subscale and the total SAD score, Social Avoidance and Social Distress subscales (p < 0.001).Conclusion: Patients with objective halitosis have more introverted personality traits and are more likely to have social avoidance and distress than the nonhalitosis population.