Objective:

To determine the prevalence of halitosis and its relationship with associated factors such as: oral hygiene, tooth decay, tongue plaque, type of breathing, age and sex in children aged 5 to 12 years who attend the Giordano Bruno School of the Province of Pichincha - Ecuador.

Materials and methods:

Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study carried out in a population of 178 students aged 5 to 12 years, the sample consisted of 122 children selected through probability sampling. Informed consent was requested to participate in the study. The prevalence of halitosis was evaluated with a monitor that detects volatile sulfur compounds and the associated factors were measured by means of the IHOS, the Winkel coated tongue index, the oral mirror test and the ceo-d and CPO-D index. The data were analyzed with the Chi square test with a significance value of 0.05 and a Binary Logistic Regression Analysis.

Results:

The prevalence of halitosis was 50% in children and it was related to tongue coating, oral hygiene, age, and sex (p <0.05), there was no association between halitosis, type of respiration and the presence of dental caries. Children with tongue coating have a 177 times greater risk of halitosis, while children with regular oral hygiene have a 205 times greater risk of halitosis.

Conclusion:

The prevalence of halitosis in children is high and the main risk factors are tongue coating and regular oral hygiene.