A dentist at the Marks Dental Clinic, Dr. Anna Adams, has revealed that the back of a proper toothbrush is solely for scraping the tongue.

Dr. Adams stated that people tend to brush the interior part of the tongue, forgetting the posterior part, which stores about 80% of the bacteria in the mouth.

According to Dr. Adams, the back of the brush was made to mimic the tongue scraper to help with the easy removal of the bacteria in the posterior part of the tongue and relieve the mouth of bad odour.

Speaking to Asieduwaa Akumia on Prime Morning on Tuesday, she advised that people should pay more attention to the posterior part of the tongue to avoid halitosis.

"The tongue scraper is normally used after brushing. So when you check the ideal toothbrush recommended for brushing, you notice that there are some rugged…rough edges that mimic what we call the tongue scraper. After brushing, you turn the other side and use that to brush your tongue," she said.

Additionally, she said, "It could also be that you are not brushing your tongue properly. About 80% of the bacteria dwell on the posterior part of the tongue. So you can brush the interior part of the tongue and forget to brush the posterior part. So you may have that gag reflex when you try brushing inside, but you must concentrate more on that side when brushing."

Aside from poor oral hygiene, the dentist said that foods that are high in volatile Sulphur compounds, like onions and garlic, can also cause halitosis.

The dentist further mentioned that some medicines and other human activities dehydrate the mouth, thereby causing bad breath.

"You could also have some medications that could cause bad breath. Alcohol and smoking. Anything that causes dehydration in the mouth [less saliva flow] will lead to an environment that is very conducive for these bacteria to feed on and produce these compounds."

She advised that people regularly visit the dentist for checkups (every six months at minimum) and cultivate the habit of practicing oral hygiene to avoid halitosis.