The most important meal of the day

The study found that almost a fifth of the participants questioned admitted that they had missed breakfast and of these one in three (36 per cent) suffered with bad breath. This was significantly more than those who had eaten breakfast.

Interestingly, only about half of those who presented with bad breath were conscious that they were suffering from it. Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Nigel Carter OBE, believes the findings could help to have a positive effect on teenager’s personal development.

“This study is very interesting as bad breath is a common problem throughout the world. Breakfast has always been widely labelled as ‘the most important meal of the day’ and the effect of skipping it has long been known to be detrimental to people’s diets. But now there is another reason not to miss breakfast which can have a real positive impact on people’s lives.

“Young people who suffer from bad breath may find that it has a significant impact on their ability to have normal social interactions as they go through one of the most defining times of their lives. This has the potential to impact their personal development and those who experience this social rejection may exhibit low self-esteem. By being aware of the causes of bad breath it gives people the ability to do something about it.”