Impact of Nasal Trauma on Olfactory Function

To determine the impact of nasal trauma with and without the potential to produce nasal fracture on the olfactory function.

A descriptive analytical study.

Ear, Nose, Throat Clinic, Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital, Ankara from October 2018 to June 2019.

The study included patients with nasal trauma and control subjects. The patients with nasal trauma were divided into two groups as fracture group (Group F, n=83) and non-fracture group (Group Non-F, n=30). The Group F was further divided into two subgroups according the presence as septal fracture as Group SF (patients with septal fracture) and Group Non-SF (patients with non-septal fracture). The smell functions of all participants were evaluated using the Sniffin' Sticks test. The odour scores of Group F and Group Non-F were compared versus control group, using the independent sample t-test or Mann-Whitney U-test. Percentage of patients with olfactory dysfunction was compared between Group F and Group Non-F and between Group SF and Group Non-SF using the Chi-square test.

There were a total of 113 participants with mean age of 35.64±10.44 years. The median TDI score of Group F was significantly lower in comparison to control group, no significant difference was found between Group Non-F and control group in terms of median TDI score. There was a significant difference between Group F and Group Non-F in terms of the percentage of patients with olfactory dysfunction. No significant difference was found between Group F and Group Non-F with respect to the percentage of patients with olfactory dysfunction.

Nasal trauma can lead to olfactory dysfunction only if it has the potential to produce a nasal fracture. Key Words: Smell disorders, Nasal bone, Bone fractures, Trauma.