Combining culture and culture-independent methods reveals new microbial composition of halitosis patients' tongue biofilm

Oral malodor is a very discomforting condition deriving from the presence of volatile sulfur compounds in the expired air. In halitosis of intraoral etiology, the volatile sulfur compounds are metabolic products of the oral microorganisms within the biofilm coating the tongue dorsum as well as other tissues in the oral cavity. The aim of this study was to characterize and compare the microbial composition of tongue biofilm in volunteers suffering from halitosis and healthy volunteers by means of both the culture method and culture-independent cloning technique.