Objectives: This study evaluated the effect of flavors in dentifrices on the formation of volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) in morning breath. Methods: A crossover, randomized, blind study was carried out on 50 healthy individuals, randomly assigned in two experimental groups: test dentifrice (containing flavors) and control dentifrice (without flavors). The volunteers received the designated dentifrice and a new toothbrush for a 3 times a day brushing regimen for 30 days. During a 7-day washout period between use of the test products, subjects used the control dentifrice. The parameters assessed were: organoleptic quality of mouth air and the concentration of VSC using a portable sulfide monitor (Halimeter®) before and after tongue cleaning, salivary flow, BANA Test and amount of tongue coating. In addition, the maximum inhibitory dilution (MID) of dentifrices was determined. Statistical analysis was performed using the Friedman test. Results: In the intergroup analysis, there were no differences between the two experimental groups in any of the assessed parameters (p>0.05) on day 0 and 30. However, in the intragroup analysis, the organoleptic scores presented a significant reduction from 3 to 2 only for the test group (p<0.05). Positive correlations were also found between tongue coating and the formation of VSC in both groups (p<0.02). The MID values obtained indicated that there were no differences between the test and control groups for the assessed microorganisms. Conclusions: Within the limitations of this study, these findings suggested that the presence of flavors may reduce morning bad breath.

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