In our culture, it's a difficult thing to talk about.
--Patricia Lenton, University of Minnesota's School of Dentistry, on bad breath

And this is one of my dilemmas--do I, and how do I, talk to people about body odors?

I spend a lot of time with people in the closed quarters of a small exam room. Cigarette smokers who smoke in their cars reek of old smoke. I don't have any trouble discussing their habit with them. People who drink alcohol before their appointment smell strongly of that, and I always initiate discussions with them--especially if they're my first visit of the morning!

But people with B.O. so bad that I have to abandon the room for an hour or two lest future patients think that I smell of old sweat, well I just can't bring myself to mention that. Likewise bad breath.

I feel like it's my duty to do so, but mentioning another person's odor is so taboo, I still can't point this out to my patients.