Genes May Be a Contributing Factor in Chronic Oral Malodor

A solution for oral malodor may be harder to find for patients who carry a specific gene mutation, according to University of California, Davis researchers. The study, “Mutations in SELENBP1, Encoding a Novel Human Methanethiol Oxidase, Cause Extraoral Halitosis,” published in Nature Genetics, identifies a gene mutation that may be the root cause of persistent halitosis.

In previous studies, researchers at Radboud University in the Netherlands found that patients with chronic oral malodor had mutations to SELENBP1, a gene that normally creates a protein that breaks down odiferous methanethiol into other compounds. The team at UC Davis tested this hypothesis by editing this same gene in lab mice. They found the genetically engineered mice had much higher levels of methanethiol in their blood, precisely matching the pattern found in human subjects. This research may lead to novel therapies for chronic oral malodor.