Effectiveness of Manuka Honey in the Management of Oral Halitosis

Authors

  • Ali A. Shaheed
  • Shaymaa Abdulkareem Nori Department of Prosthodontics, College of Dentistry, Al-Hadi University, Baghdad Governorate, Iraq
  • Maha Mohammed Abd Ali
  • Batool Hassan Al-Ghurabi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/d3000.2026.1465

Keywords:

Honey, Oral Hygiene, Tongue, Solobacterium moorei

Abstract

The objective of the present research was to assess and compare the effectiveness of tongue scraping, Manuka honey, and a combination of both interventions in reducing oral halitosis. This pilot case-series study included three adolescents aged 13–16 years with clinically diagnosed halitosis. Participants received either tongue scraping, Manuka honey, or combination therapy. Halitosis severity was assessed using the Rosenberg organoleptic scale and the Winkel Tongue-Coating Index. Tongue dorsum samples were collected at baseline, immediately after treatment, one week and two weeks after treatment. The bacterial load of

Solobacterium moorei

was determined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. All treatment modalities produced immediate reductions in bacterial load, organoleptic scores, and Winkel Tongue-Coating Index scores. Manuka honey demonstrated the greatest immediate reduction in bacterial load (97.75%). However, the combination treatment showed the most sustained effect, maintaining a 91.59% reduction in bacterial load after two weeks. Organoleptic scores were reduced by 80% at two weeks in the combination group, compared with 60% in the Manuka honey group and 0% in the tongue scraping group. Similarly, the combination treatment maintained a 66.67% reduction in Winkel Tongue-Coating Index scores throughout the follow-up period, whereas reductions observed in the Manuka honey and tongue scraping groups declined over time. All three interventions reduced halitosis immediately after treatment. However, the combination of tongue scraping and Manuka honey demonstrated the most sustained improvement in bacterial load, organoleptic scores, and tongue-coating scores over the two-week follow-up period, suggesting that combining mechanical and antimicrobial approaches may offer superior control of oral halitosis.

Downloads

Published

2026-07-27

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 2 (2026)

Section

Adults & the Elderly

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Ali A. Shaheed, Shaymaa Abdulkareem Nori, Maha Mohammed Abd Ali, Batool Hassan Al-Ghurabi

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
  2. Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
  3. The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
    1. Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site;
    with the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
  4. The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  5. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
  6. Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
  7. The Author represents and warrants that:
    1. the Work is the Author’s original work;
    2. the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
    3. the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
    4. the Work has not previously been published;
    5. the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
    6. the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
  8. The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.

Revised 7/16/2018. Revision Description: Removed outdated link.