[Assessing olfaction in general practice. A study of suitable odors]

Area of Science:

• Otorhinolaryngology
• Neuroscience
• Sensory Science

Background:

• Olfactory dysfunction affects a significant portion of the population.
• Accurate and accessible methods for assessing olfactory function are crucial for diagnosis and management.
• Current quantitative olfactometry can be expensive and complex.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and validate a set of olfactory stimuli for a simplified smell identification test.
• To develop a cost-effective screening tool for olfactory impairment.
• To correlate findings from a blotting paper test with quantitative olfactometry.

Main Methods:

• 15 substances were initially tested on 200 healthy adults and 50 patients with olfactory impairment.
• A qualitative blotting paper test identified 6 well-recognized substances.
• Quantitative testing using the Elsberg olfactometer further refined the stimuli, resulting in 4 distinct olfactory activity groups.
• Peppermint oil, benzaldehyde, orange oil, and eugenol were selected as representative stimuli.

Main Results:

• Six substances were identified as reliable olfactory stimuli in the initial qualitative test.
• Quantitative analysis revealed four groups of olfactory stimuli with graded activity.
• Peppermint oil emerged as the strongest olfactory stimulus, while eugenol was the weakest.
• The selected stimuli demonstrated potential for differentiating olfactory function levels.

Conclusions:

• A simplified olfactory test using blotting paper and selected stimuli (peppermint oil, benzaldehyde, orange oil, eugenol) can be effective.
• This method provides a practical and affordable approach for rough quantitative screening of olfactory impairment.
• The developed olfactory scale may reduce the need for expensive olfactometry in initial assessments.