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Methods to assess olfaction in pediatric patients: a systematic review from the international YO-IFOS study group
Christian Calvo-Henríquez1,2, Carlos Chiesa-Estomba3,4, Gabriel Martinez-Capoccioni3,5
1Young-Otolaryngologists of the International Federations of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (YO-IFOS) Study Group, Paris, France. christian.ezequiel.calvo.henriquez@sergas.es.
Insights
Assessing children's sense of smell requires diverse methods, not just identification tasks. New tests are needed for young children (under 5) and clearer diagnostic criteria for reduced olfactory function (hyposmia).
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Medicine
- Neuroscience
- Sensory Science
Background:
- Olfaction is a crucial sense in childhood development.
- Current olfaction assessment methods for children are often neglected or insufficient.
- There's growing scientific interest in pediatric olfaction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and compare olfaction assessment tests used in pediatric populations.
- To identify gaps and limitations in current pediatric olfaction testing.
- To provide insights for developing improved assessment tools for children.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of scientific literature.
- Databases searched include Pubmed (Medline), Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Trip Database.
- Analysis focused on olfaction tests, with secondary review of differences based on sex, age, exercises, and odorants.
Main Results:
- 18 articles met the inclusion criteria for the review.
- The review identified various olfaction assessment tests used in children.
- Significant differences in test methodologies were noted.
Conclusions:
- Olfactory assessment in children should integrate multiple evaluation methods.
- Current identification tasks alone are insufficient for comprehensive olfaction assessment.
- There is a critical need for specialized tests for children under 5 and established cutoff values for pediatric hyposmia.
Objective:
Olfaction is an important sense in children, but its measurement is usually disregarded or neglected. There has been increasing interest in olfaction in recent years, and many olfaction assessment tests have been developed to assess pediatric patients. In this systematic review, we identify and compare different olfaction assessment tests used in the pediatric population DATA SOURCES: Pubmed (Medline), the Cochrane Library, EMBASE and Trip Database.
Review Methods:
The main outcome was review of the tests used to assess olfaction. The secondary outcomes were review of differences between tests regarding sex, age, exercises and odorants.
Results:
A total of 18 articles fulfilled the established inclusion criteria.
Conclusions:
Olfaction assessment in children should combine different methods of evaluation, and not rely only on identification tasks. There are still many questions to answer. There is a great need for a specific test for children under 5 years old. Also, there is not a real cutoff value to define hyposmia yet; real cutoff values and values adapted to children's development are keenly needed.
