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Updated: Jan 22, 2026

A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function
Published on: July 30, 2017
Fast Screening of Olfactory Function Using the Q-Sticks Test
Agnieszka Sorokowska1,2, Anna Oleszkiewicz3,4, Amir Minovi5
1Smell & Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany, sorokowska@gmail.com.
Objectives:
Classical, longer olfactory tests are associated with difficulties in everyday practice. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical utility of the Q-Sticks test within the context of a multicenter study.
Methods:
A total of 333 subjects, aged between 12 and 88 years, completed a 3-item Q-Sticks test and a longer Sniffin' Sticks identification test. We analyzed the sensitivity and specificity of the test results for different cutoffs for anosmia and hyposmia.
Results:
Our study showed that the test can be used on subjects aged 12 years and older, regardless of their sex. The data indicated a test sensitivity and specificity of 91.8 and 92%, respectively, with a score of 2 taken as a cutoff for olfactory dysfunction. Conversely, normal olfactory function can be declared with high probability with a score of 3 in the Q-Sticks test.
Conclusion:
We reconfirmed that the Q-Sticks test is a good screening tool for everyday medical practice and in laboratory settings, although it has to be kept in mind that the test can produce false-negative results at a score of 3. The test was relatively sensitive to anosmia and differences between normosmic and hyposmic/anosmic patients.
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