Marlon Wayans discusses bad breath in interview

In a recent appearance on the Fox News Channel, comedian Marlon Wayans discussed the effects of bad breath with the hosts of the network's morning wake-up show, Fox and Friends.

Wayans told TV personalities Steve Doocy, Gretchen Carlson and Brian Kilmeade that bad breath can be a serious problem during a conversation. He recommended chewing gum to relieve the smell of halitosis.

To illustrate his point, Wayans gave Doocy a piece of gum and then the two held a discussion with their noses just an inch or two apart. Both attested to the freshness of their breath.

While common chewing gum may mask the smell of bad breath, it is unlikely to eliminate it. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Dentistry found that typical sweetened cinnamon gums eliminate just half of all oral bacteria, leaving the rest to regroup and regrow.

Ultimately, common gum just gives microbes something to chew on themselves. They absorb its sugars and emit odorous compounds that make breath worse, not better.

Only specialty breath freshening gums that have been designed to neutralize odor molecules and kill bacteria can truly rid the mouth of halitosis.