LONDON , England ( CNN ) -- When people think of coffee , words such as caffeine , aroma and energy may spring to mind . 'Good breath , ' however , certainly is n't one of them . Mel Rosenberg at work in his 'smell laboratory ' found that coffee can lead to good breath . So researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel , were in for a surprise when their study into the relation between coffee and bad breath , showed that coffee can actually lead to good breath . Breath specialist Mel Rosenberg of the university 's Faculty of Medicine found that there are certain components in coffee that inhibit the bacteria that lead to bad breath -- preventing these bacteria from making their presence felt , or smelt . `` Everybody thinks that coffee causes bad breath , '' Rosenberg told CNN `` and as a latte drinker , I believe that too . '' But the malodor does n't necessarily come from the coffee itself , said Rosenberg : `` We think that coffee , which has a dehydrating effect on the mouth , can ferment into bad breath when mixed with substances such as milk . '' This meant that until recently , coffee was up there with not eating a healthy breakfast , not drinking enough water and consuming alcohol as causes for unpleasant mouth odors . But until Rosenberg 's study , no one had ever scientifically shown the link between the consumption of coffee and bad breath . Rosenberg 's team wanted to prove just that . They did the research by taking saliva and incubating it with different brands of coffee including the Israeli brand Elite coffee , Landwer Turkish coffee , and Taster 's Choice . `` We thought this coffee and saliva mixture would have a terrible odor , but incredibly it had the opposite effect . '' Rosenberg -- who also created popular mouthwash Dentyl pH -- is now thinking about creating a mouthwash , toothpaste , or chewing gum based on coffee . The effects could be similar to plant extracts such as clove oil , which have also been shown to have anti-bacterial properties that prevent bad breath . But first Rosenberg would have to find which of the hundreds of components in coffee are the ones that have these beneficial properties . `` That will take a long time '' said Rosenberg . `` But this research has already been a lesson in humility , showing that assumptions are not always correct . '' Rosenberg -- who also writes children 's books such as 'Mel the Smell Dragon ' -- told CNN . `` And sometimes , getting it wrong can create even more interesting outcomes . ''
A new study surprised researchers when it found coffee can lead to good breath . Researchers at the University of California San Francisco and Harvard Medical School studied more than 1,000 people who were asked about their drinking habits over a period of two years. The lead researcher is now thinking about creating a coffee-based mouthwash .