Control group Malodor group P value Saliva    Total bacteria (log10 copies/10 µl) 6.9 ± 0.2 7.1 ± 0.3 0.08  Fusobacterium (log10 copies/10 µl) 4.6 ± 0.4 4.9 ± 0.8 0.30  Fusobacterium (% of total bacteria) 0.78 ± 0.66 1.49 ± 1.72 0.24 Tongue coating suspension    Total bacteria (log10 copies/10 µl) 6.7 ± 0.4 7.2 ± 0.3 0.01  Fusobacterium (log10 copies/10 µl) 4.7 ± 1.0 5.8 ± 0.6 0.01  Fusobacterium (% of total bacteria) 2.68 ± 2.70 7.41 ± 6.87 0.06 Data are expressed as mean ± SD.

Table 2: Copy numbers of bacteria analyzed by quantitative PCR.