Clinic-Grade Precision. Lab-Certified Results.

The Halimeter® test is completely non-invasive and takes less than 90 seconds. You breathe normally through a small tube held near your mouth for a few seconds — there is no instrument inserted into the mouth. The only requirement is that you avoid eating, drinking (except water), smoking, or using mouthwash for two hours before the test, as these can temporarily suppress VSC readings and give an artificially low baseline. The reading appears on screen immediately.

The DNA oral microbiome test involves no blood. Collection is done with a simple oral swab — a sterile cotton-tipped swab is gently applied to the posterior tongue, tonsil area, and subgingival sulcus for 10–15 seconds at each site. The swab is sealed into a collection tube and sent to our USA laboratory partners by international courier. Results are returned digitally to the clinic within 48–72 hours of receipt at the lab. The entire collection process at the clinic takes under five minutes.

The Halimeter® test and visual assessment are performed at every first consultation as they are essential to establish a baseline. DNA testing is recommended for all patients who present with chronic or refractory halitosis because it determines the specific treatment protocol — without it, antimicrobial selection is generic rather than targeted. BANA testing is added when periodontal involvement is clinically suspected. Salivary flow assessment is added when dry mouth is indicated by symptoms or medication review. We never run tests for the sake of running them — each instrument is deployed because it answers a specific diagnostic question your case requires.

A clinically healthy oral cavity typically produces a Halimeter® reading below 75 ppb (hydrogen sulfide equivalents). Readings between 75–150 ppb represent mild halitosis; 150–400 ppb is moderate; above 400 ppb is severe. We explain your reading to you at the time of measurement and give you the actual number — not a vague category. Throughout your treatment, every follow-up visit includes a re-measurement, so you can see your number falling in real time. Treatment is considered complete only when your reading reaches and sustains below 50 ppb across two consecutive visits.

Halimeter® analysis and DNA oral microbiome testing with USA-certified laboratory processing are not standard offerings at general dental clinics in Lebanon. Most dental practices assess halitosis subjectively or use generic scoring systems without objective gas measurement. We have built the diagnostic infrastructure specifically because we treat halitosis as a primary clinical focus — not as a secondary observation during a routine dental appointment. This is the only clinic in Lebanon that routinely combines real-time VSC gas analysis, DNA microbiome sequencing, and BANA chairside testing in a single halitosis consultation protocol.

Not necessarily. DNA testing identifies the specific pathogenic species present — what we do with that information depends on which species they are and at what abundance. Some cases are effectively managed with targeted antimicrobial oral rinses, probiotics, or mechanical debridement alone. Systemic antibiotics are reserved for cases where a specific antibiotic-sensitive pathogen is present in high concentrations, is causing a refractory infection, or is driving periodontal disease that does not respond to mechanical treatment. The goal of DNA testing is to be precise, not to prescribe more — in many cases it allows us to use less medication because we know exactly what needs to be targeted.