What action helps address uremic halitosis in end-stage renal disease?

What action helps address uremic halitosis in end-stage renal disease?

• A. Mouth care prior to meals
• B. Increase protein intake
• C. Use lemon-scented mouthwash only
• D. Avoid brushing teeth

Answer: (A)

Uremic halitosis in end-stage renal disease comes from wastes like urea in saliva being broken down by oral bacteria into volatile sulfur compounds that cause a strong breath odor. Doing mouth care before meals directly reduces the bacterial load and removes debris that would feed these bacteria, cutting down the amount of odor produced right when you’re about to eat. Brushing, cleaning the tongue, and rinsing before meals lowers the substrates that bacteria would convert to smelly compounds.

Increasing protein intake would raise urea production and likely worsen the odor. Lemon-scented mouthwash alone may mask odor but doesn’t reduce the bacterial load or substrate. Avoiding brushing increases plaque and bacteria, making odor worse. So pre-meal mouth care best addresses the source of the problem.