Frequency of Delusional Halitosis in a University Community

OBJECTIVES: Delusional halitosis also referred to as psychological halitosis, delusional cacosomia or halitophobia, is a monosymptomatic hypochondriacal disorder. Previous work was done in this centre on thirty two (32) cases of delusional halitosis, but the study did not analyze the frequency within the University Benin Community. METHODS: Sixty Eight (68) patients with delusional halitosis were diagnosed after detailed history and clinical examination , in a three years period (2000 to 2003), at Dental Hospital, University of Benin, Nigeria. RESULTS: There were 14 cases (20.6%) within the University Community, with male to female ratio of 2.5 : 1, most patients were students13 cases (19.1%) and the largest group was within age bracket of 20 to 29 years. CONCLUSION: We observed that a fifth of the patients with delusional halitosis was within the University Community, majority were students. There was an increase in the number of patients in this study compared to previous study, which indicates an increased level of awareness.