RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To assess olfactory function in children and to create and validate an odor identification test to diagnose olfactory dysfunction in children, which we called the Universal Sniff (U-Sniff) test. STUDY DESIGN: This is a multicenter study involving 19 countries. The U-Sniff test was developed in 3 phases including 1760 children age 5-7 years. Phase 1: identification of potentially recognizable odors; phase 2: selection of odorants for the odor identification test; and phase 3: evaluation of the test and acquisition of normative data. Test-retest reliability was evaluated in a subgroup of children (n = 27), and the test was validated using children with congenital anosmia (n = 14). RESULTS: Twelve odors were familiar to children and, therefore, included in the U-Sniff test. Children scored a mean ± SD of 9.88 ± 1.80 points out of 12. Normative data was obtained and reported for each country. The U-Sniff test demonstrated a high test-retest reliability (r27 = 0.83, P < .001) and enabled discrimination between normosmia and children with congenital anosmia with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 86%. CONCLUSIONS: The U-Sniff is a valid and reliable method of testing olfaction in children and can be used internationally.
Assuntos
Odorantes , Transtornos do Olfato/congênito , Transtornos do Olfato/diagnóstico , Olfato/fisiologia , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Humanos , Internacionalidade , Masculino , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Sensibilidade e EspecificidadeRESUMO
Our knowledge regarding the neural processing of the three chemical senses has been lagging behind that of our other senses considerably. It is only during the last 25 years that significant advances have been made in our understanding of where in the human brain odors, tastants, and trigeminal stimuli are processed. Here we provide an overview of the current knowledge of how the human brain processes chemical stimuli based on findings in neuroimaging studies using positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging. Additionally, we provide new insights from recent meta-analyses, based on all published neuroimaging studies of the chemical senses, of where the chemical senses converge in the brain.