Is electrogustometry useful for screening abnormalities of taste?

Electrogustometry is an accurate and increasingly popular method used to examine taste. However, its usefulness as a screening test is unknown.

We asked 114 subjects, some healthy but most with medical conditions possibly affecting taste, to rate their overall taste ability, on a scale of zero to 10. Those who had current symptoms related to taste- and who rated their taste as five or worse - were defined as 'aberrant tasters'. We recorded automated electrogustometry thresholds, and visual analogue scale intensity ratings, for solutions of the four basic tastes (sweet, sour, salty and bitter). A visual analogue scale score of 50 was used as a cut-off point to identify 'poor tasters'.

The sensitivity and specificity of electrogustometry in identifying abnormal taste function were low.

We conclude that automated electrogustometry is not a useful clinical screening method for taste disturbance in a population such as ours.