Blis hails test results for bad-breath treatment

By LIAM DANN

Blis Technologies presented good results from clinical trials of its K12 Throat Guard at the International Conference for Breath Odour in London yesterday.

The Wellington company plans to launch the bacterial guard - developed as a preventive for sore throats - on the US oral hygiene market.

Thirteen subjects with breath so bad it could be detected half a metre were treated with the product. A week later, 11 recorded breath readings below the range associated with bad breath - even when tested first thing in the morning before any oral care, said Blis head of research Dr Chris Chilcott.

Eight of these 11 maintained good breath levels when tested a week later.

Blis chief executive Kelvin Moffatt said the company would seek publication of the full results of the trial in a scientific journal.

"We believe that this treatment represents a breakthrough for those people who are currently forced to live with the social stigma of severe bad breath and its associated impact on their daily lives," he said.

Dr Jeremy Burton, who headed the clinical trials for Blis, said the data would be well-received internationally because investigators understood the difficulty in recruiting high numbers of subjects with severe bad breath.