The Evaluation of Olfactory Function in Individuals With Chronic Halitosis

Abstract

Halitosis and olfactory dysfunction may disrupt an individual's quality of life remarkably. One may ask whether halitosis has effects on olfactory functions or not? Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the olfactory abilities of subjects with chronic halitosis evaluated using the measurements of volatile sulfur compounds. This study was carried out in 77 subjects, with a mean age of 40.1±13.3 years, ranging from 18 to 65 years. Forty-three participants were diagnosed as halitosis according to the gas chromatography results and constituted the halitosis group. Also, a control group was created from individuals without a complaint of halitosis and also who had normal values for volatile sulfur compounds. Each subject's orthonasal olfactory and retronasal olfactory functions were assessed using "Sniffin' Sticks" and retronasal olfactory testing. The results showed that odor threshold scores were lower in participants with halitosis compared with controls. Also, hyposmia was seen more common in the halitosis group than in controls. Moreover, a significant negative correlation was found between odor threshold scores and volatile sulfur compounds levels, particularly with hydrogen sulfide and dimethyl sulfide levels. The results suggest that the chronic presence of volatile sulfur compounds may have a negative effect on olfactory function.

Assessment of the accuracy of portable monitors for halitosis evaluation in subjects without malodor complaint. Are they reliable for clinical practice?

“…Subjective measures are an issue in research, since objective data are more likely to be standardized. In addition, the organoleptic test requires calibration and can be an embarrassing procedure 1 , 15 . Therefore, it is critical to access the sensitivity and specificity of other methods in order to decrease the need of performing OT.…”

Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Has Negative Effects on Taste and Smell Functions

“…Volatile sulfur compounds can be detected in patients with LPR, leading to a vicious cycle and additional taste and smell disorders. 3…”

“…Volatile sulfur compounds can be detected in patients with LPR, leading to a vicious cycle and additional taste and smell disorders. 3 In this study, we evaluated halimetric, olfactory, and taste functions of patients with LPR and compared them with those of a control group using the Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) and the Reflux Finding Score (RFS), which have been validated and are reliable for diagnosing LPR. 4,5 with the Declaration of Helsinki on biomedical studies involving human subjects, and informed consent was obtained from all participants before the study began.…”

Retronasal Olfaction Test Methods: A Systematic Review

“…Croy et al (22) asserted that the ROT is not suitable for daily clinical use but should be particularly beneficial in the case of a taste disorder accompanying olfaction deficiency. Studies investigating the ROT are summarized in Table 1, 1-1, 1-2 (16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36).…”