Potential application of electronic odor diffuser in olfaction testing.

OBJECTIVE: Different olfactory tests have been performed by otorhinolaryngologists in different parts of the world. For example, the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) has been used in the U.S., whereas the Sniffin' Sticks Test has been used in Europe, and similarly, T&T olfactometry is used in Japan. Although audiometers with electronic oscillators have long been used in hearing tests, electronic odor generators are not typically used in olfaction tests. We attempted an olfactory test using the AROMASTIC® (SONY, Tokyo, Japan), an electronically controlled device that can diffuse five different odors.

METHODS: Forty participants who had visited an outpatient olfactory clinic were included in this study. The participants were instructed to answer whether they could smell the five different odors during the AROMASTIC® screening test (AS-test), and the number of odors smelled was summed and scored (AS-score). The patients also underwent T&T olfactometry concurrently.

RESULTS: The AS-scores and T&T olfactometry detection and recognition thresholds showed significant correlations, confirming that the AS-test is a valid olfactory test.

CONCLUSION: Electronic odor diffusers may be useful for olfaction tests.