Background: Halitosis is a common oral condition that may be influenced by physiological and hormonal changes during pregnancy. Despite its potential psychosocial impact, data on its prevalence and effect on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among pregnant women in Saudi Arabia are limited. Aim: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of self-reported halitosis among pregnant women in Saudi Arabia and evaluate its impact on OHRQoL. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women residing in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using a structured Arabic questionnaire covering sociodemographic and obstetric variables, self-reported halitosis, and the validated Arabic Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). Associations were tested using chi-square and independent samples t-tests, and multivariable regression models were used to identify predictors of halitosis and OHRQoL. Results: A total of 178 participants were analyzed, and the prevalence of self-reported halitosis was 36.8%. Participants with halitosis had significantly higher mean OHIP-14 scores than those without halitosis (19.6 ± 7.9 vs. 11.2 ± 6.5; p<0.001). Lack of tongue cleaning (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.14; p=0.002) and poor self-rated oral hygiene (AOR = 1.87; p=0.011) were significant predictors of halitosis. Conclusion: Halitosis was common in this cohort and was associated with poorer OHRQoL. Integrating targeted oral hygiene counseling, especially tongue cleaning education, into antenatal care may reduce burden and improve maternal oral health outcomes.

Keywords: CoQ10, Energy Production, Nutrient, OHRQoL, Halitosis, Hormonal, OHIP-14, Hygiene, Oral, Pregnant Woman.

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Source of Funding:

No internal or external funding was obtained for this study.

Competing Interests Statement:

The authors declare no competing financial, professional, or personal interests.

Consent for publication:

The authors declare that they consented to the publication of this study.

Authors' contributions:

All the authors took part in literature review, analysis, and manuscript writing equally.

Informed Consent:

All participants provided informed consent before participation. No personally identifiable data was collected, and all records were anonymized and securely stored.

Availability of data and material:

The data and material are available as per the request from the corresponding author.

Institutional Review Board Statement:

The study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee/Institutional Review Board of Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Riyadh Elm University (REU) (Approval No. FRP/2025/593/1364/1241]) and was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Ethical Approval:

The study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee/Institutional Review Board of Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Riyadh Elm University (REU).

Acknowledgement:

The authors would like to thank all the people who are directly or indirectly related to this study for their support and concern.