USA – The various health benefits of eating yogurt have been underlined in a number of studies, particularly with regard gastrointestinal conditions. In more recent investigations researchers believe it may also help to improve oral hygiene.

In a study presented to the International Association for Dental Research in Baltimore, Dr Kenichi Hojo and his colleagues found that participants who consumed 90 grams of yogurt twice a day for six weeks tended to have lower levels of volatile sulfide compounds that contribute to bad breath.

During the first two weeks of the study, the 24 participants were asked not to eat yogurt, cheese and any other products that might contain Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. They then ate sugar-free yogurt fermented with both types of bacteria, twice daily between meals, for six weeks. Saliva and tongue-coating samples collected at the end of this period revealed that 80% of the halitosis sufferers had lower levels of sulfide compounds after eating yogurt every day compared with the earlier yogurt-free period. They also had less plaque and gingivitis.