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Dental hygienist Kristen Baldwin monitors a patient using the Halimeter at the Fresh Breath Centre at Cougar Dental Center in Provo. The Halimeter is a new diagnostic machine that is used to determine the underlying causes of bad breath. It measures the volatile sulfur compounds in parts per million in a person's breath. VSCs are actually the byproducts of dead and rotting bacteria and gum tissue, and they cause the well-known socially unacceptable smell. Chronic bad breath is a major social problem for up to 90 million Americans, despite consistent brushing, flossing and rinsing. (See story on Page B3.)