Comparison of breath and in-mouth collection for the measurement of oral malodorous compounds by gas chromatography using sulfur chemiluminescence detection

Volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs), specifically hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan and dimethyl sulfide, are generally considered to be the primary volatiles responsible for 'morning' malodors in breath. To date, the 'gold standard' for detecting VSC concentrations in breath is the use of gas chromatography coupled with sulfur chemiluminescence detection. Breath gas is often collected in a polypropylene syringe and then aliquots are injected into a gas chromatograph for analysis. The objective of this work was to compare the Twister™ bar in-mouth extraction methodology for measurement of VSCs with the gas syringe breath-sampling collection technique. The Twister bar technology captures malodorous compounds in the mouth as opposed to breath gas. Using these techniques, comparable results were obtained in studies demonstrating the efficacy of a proprietary oral malodor counteraction system.