The 8-item NHANES pocket smell test^®: Normative data.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychometrics
• Gerontology

Background:

• Olfactory screening tests are crucial for assessing smell dysfunction.
• The Pocket Smell Test (PST) is a brief neuropsychological screening tool derived from the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT).
• Normative data are essential for accurate interpretation of PST scores across diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide normative data for the Pocket Smell Test (PST).
• To establish age- and gender-adjusted percentile norms for PST scores.
• To define clinical cut-points for anosmia, probable microsmia, and normosmia using ROC analyses.

Main Methods:

• Combined PST scores from NHANES (2013-2014) with UPSIT database data.
• Included participants aged 5 to 99 years.
• Utilized receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses to determine cut-points.

Main Results:

• Established decade-related, age- and gender-adjusted percentile normative data.
• Identified an age-related decline in olfactory test scores after age 40, with women outperforming men.
• Defined anosmia (score ≤3), probable microsmia (score 3-6), and normosmia (score 7-8).

Conclusions:

• The study provides accurate normative data for interpreting PST scores.
• These findings support the use of PST in clinical and applied settings for olfactory assessment.
• The established cut-points facilitate the clinical classification of olfactory dysfunction.