Table 6.

Percentage of correct reactions of dental hygienist members of the Nederlandse Vereniging van Mondhygiënisten (NVM) and dentists on a number of knowledge statements concerning halitosis

	Dental hygienists(%)	Dentists(%)
(a) In case of halitosis the bad smell can come from the mouth as well as the nose	64	66
(b) Pseudo-halitosis is the initial stage of pathological halitosis	33	37
(c) Extra-oral halitosis is a variant of physiological halitosis	14	17
(d) A bad smell has always to do with poor oral hygiene	94	95
(e) Mostly a bad morning breath disappears after toothbrushing or having breakfast	88	88
(f) The remedy for extra-oral halitosis is the use of tongue scraper and/or the use of a mouthrinse	100	100
(g) A bad taste in the mouth goes together with bad breath	57	68
(h) A patient can well conceive if he/she has a bad breath	87	92
(i) Performing a organoleptic measurement requires wearing a mouth cap	92	84
(j) If a patient suffers from halitophobia, referral to a psychologist is indicated	48	41
(k) When halitosis has an extra-oral cause, referral to a gastrointestinal specialist is indicated	46	53
(l) When uncertainty about the presence and/or origin of halitosis exists, referral of a patient for diagnosis to halitosis ‘office hour’ is indicated	21	20
Number of correct answers
Mean (%)	7.3 (71.3)	7.5 (62.5)
Median	7.0	8.0
Modus	7.0	8.0
Standard deviation	1.8	1.7
Minimum	3.0	3.0
Maximum	11.0	11.0
n	89	76

Shaded areas: Items b,c,d,f,g,h, and k are incorrect statements.