Culturally modified olfactory test adapted to East‐Turkey: A comparison with Sniffin’ Sticks

Abstract

Background Although the “Sniffin’ Sticks” test (SST) is a widely used odor test, aplicability of odor tests is limited because of the high cost of the test and the regional‐cultural differentiation of odor recognition. We aimed to evaluate our regional odor norms by applying the SST with a Modified odor test (MOT) we created for this study, and to develop a test similar to the SST, which was less expensive and probably had a higher odor definition for our region. Methods This study includes 201 healthy volunteers: 91 men and 110 women over the age of 18 were included in the study. Tests were compared by applying the SST and MOT to all volunteers. Results In all subjects, for the SST: the mean Threshold score (TS), Discrimination score (DS), and Identification score (IS) were, respectively, 10.73 ± 2.35, 11.11 ± 11.94 and 11.32 ± 2.15. TheTDI mean score was found to be 33.11 ± 5.9. In the TDI score, the 10th percentile value was found to be 26. For the MOT, the mean TS(mTS), DS(mDS), and IS(mIS) were 10.88 ± 2.31, 12 ± 2.06, and 11.95 ± 2.07, respectively, the modified test TDI(mTDI) mean was 34.68 ± 6.47. The mTDI 10th percentile value was found to be 26. In all volunteers, there was no statistically significant difference between the two tests for the mean threshold score, while the difference in the mean discrimination score, the average identification score, and the average TDI (thresold, discrimination, sum of identification scores) score was statistically significant (P < .01). Conclusion This study is the first study to compare the SST and the MOT in our region. Making low‐cost modifications by adding more probable smells to the smell tests and using them in studies involving more participants will be more meaningful in evaluating normative odor scores and will result in more widespread use.

Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study of Olfactory Identification Deficit in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment

“…Furthermore, too much odor identification can be affected by differences in region, culture, and individual experiences, so it is complicated to use as a screening test for the elderly ( Kim et al, 2020 , 2021 ). The “Sniffin’ Sticks” Test (SST) is another widely used odor test, but its applicability is limited because of the high cost and the regional-cultural differentiation of odor recognition ( Demir et al, 2021 ). Therefore, all of our subjects underwent the Alcohol Sniff Test, which is a simple, rapid, and reliable measure of olfaction, it takes less than 5 min to administer, has good test-retest reliability and can be used cross-culturally, which is easy to use in the elderly ( Davidson et al, 1998 ).…”

Management of post-COVID olfactory disorder: Is olfactory training effective on recovery of olfactory mucosal function?

“…This twostage test, in which odor threshold and identification are evaluated, is a modified test like the Sniffin's stick test, which has been used in our region before. 18,19 As olfactory training, four scent bottles (scents placed in 5 ml black glass bottles) prepared as standard by the researcher were given to the patients. These scents included the following groups: phenyl ethyl alcohol (rose), eucalyptol group (eucalyptus), citronellal group (lemon), and eugenol group (clove).…”

Odor familiarity and improvement of olfactory identification test in Chinese population

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