Objective: To develop an extraction method for oral malodor compounds from “morning mouth” and to analyze these compounds using SPME-GC-MS technique.

Methods: Six healthy male and female panelists participated the pilot clinical study. The panelists were asked to refrain from oral hygiene, eating and drinking the morning of the study. Smokers were not included in the study. Panelists were randomized and completed the following procedures on two separate days. On day 1, one group provided 5 mL of unstimulated saliva. The second group was instructed to swish for 1 minute with hydroxyapatite powder (HAP) (0.5 g dry weight) pre-wetted with sterile water. They then expectorated the resulting saliva-HAP mixture into a sterile tube. On day 2 the groups reversed sampling method. A total of 4.5 grams of saliva sample collected from each panelist was transferred to a GC vial and the headspace air was concentrated onto SPME fiber and analyzed by GC-MS.

Results: More than 50 malodor compounds were extracted and determined by GC-MS. They were categorized into 7 groups based on chemical functionality: acids, amines, alcohols, thiols, ketones/aldehydes, aliphatic compounds, and benzene derivatives. Among the compounds that were observed, indole, organic acids, and sulfur containing compounds were commonly found in the literature associated with oral malodor. Overall the number of compounds extracted via this HAP extraction method exceeds that of unstimulated saliva method by about 30%. All compounds identified from unstimulated saliva were also observed in the HAP-saliva samples.

Conclusion: The HAP extraction method proved to be an effective mean to extract oral malodor compounds.

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