Human saliva will help sanitize the mouth and control anaerobic bacteria in a way that it removes food particles and dead skin cells when swallowing: Bacteria populations will grow larger if food supplies are ample enough and the microorganisms that cause bad breath feed upon leftover food particles from meals along with the dead skin cells in your mouth. When saliva is adequate, you can swallow and remove food and thus indirectly control anaerobic bacteria population levels. While not a bad breath cure, this essential function of saliva will dramatically reduce problems.