Laboratory scientists unveil new monitor

Laboratory scientists have developed a new, portable monitor that can be harnessed to identify "odorous compounds in oral, exhaled and nasal air".

Dubbed the B/B Checker, the device can be used to detect a variety of gases combined with volatile sulphur compounds (VSC).

The study was published in open-access journal BMC Oral Health, which releases research after peer review.

Aiming to analyse how effective the new device is on exhaled, oral and nasal air when it comes to identifying the malodour level, the scientists used 30 non-smoking volunteers for the study.

Gas chromatography was used to record the air's VSC levels in each subject.

"The B/B Checker is useful for objective evaluation of malodour in oral, exhaled and nasal air and for screening subjects with halitosis," comment the scientists.

Recently, researchers from the University of Stanford developed a biosensor microchip that can analyse how the body's proteins react to various drugs.