Clubbers trade one kind of halitosis for another

If you don't miss the days when people could court bad breath by smoking indoors, including in bars, restaurants and night clubs, you're probably not alone. However, a recent study has revealed that statewide bans of smoking in clubs has led to an unintended consequence - namely, that it's much easier to smell clubbers' body odor now.

It may sound like an odd thing to study, but Dutch researchers at the Delft University of Technology disagree. They conducted a study to see what types of aromas keep clubgoers indoors, and which ones drive them back out again.

The results, which appeared in the journal Chemosensory Perception, indicated that pumping pleasant smells - like orange, mint or seawater - into the air conditioning system kept club rats coming back.

What scared them off? Participants said that the scents that least appeal to them, now that cigarette smoke doesn't mask them, are those of stale beer and body odor. No doubt it is easier than ever to smell a dance partner's bad breath these days.

However, rather than inflict this torture on others, brushing more often and taking a daily oral care probiotic treatment can minimize odor-causing tooth decay and bacteria.