Development of a test to evaluate olfactory function in a pediatric population.

Authors

• Pamela Dalton
• Julie A Mennella
• Christopher Maute
• Sara M Castor
• Aleida Silva-Garcia
• Jerry Slotkin
• Christopher R Grindle
• William Parkes
• Edmund A Pribitkin
• James S Reilly

Publication/Presentation Date

9-1-2011

Abstract

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: This study evaluated two versions of a test for olfactory function to determine suitability for use in a pediatric population.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional cohort study.

METHODS: In phase 1, 369 children (ages 3-17 years) and 277 adults (parents) were tested. Children began with identification and familiarity judgments to pictures representing target odors and distractors. Odors were administered via a six-item scratch and sniff test. Each answer sheet contained the correct odor source and three distractors. In phase 2, 50 children (ages 3-4 years) and 43 adults were given a revised version with eight odors judged more representative of the source and familiar to children.

RESULTS: Both completion time and identification accuracy in phase 1 improved with age. Accuracy of children 5 years old and above equaled adults for two of the three best odors. In phase 2, adults' accuracy significantly improved relative to phase 1 (92% vs. 68%), and exceeded that of 4 year olds for four of eight odors and 3 year olds for seven of eight odors.

CONCLUSIONS: Children as young as 3 years of age can perform olfactory testing, but take longer than do older children and adults (7.44 vs. 5.66 vs. 3.71 minutes). Identification accuracy also increases as a function of age. The current six-item National Institutes of Health Toolbox Odor Identification Test is a brief, easily conducted test for evaluating olfactory ability. Collection of normative data for children of all ages and adults is needed to determine the clinical utility of the test and its interpretations for pathological conditions.

Volume

121

Issue

9

First Page

1843

Last Page

1850

ISSN

1531-4995

Published In/Presented At

Dalton, P., Mennella, J. A., Maute, C., Castor, S. M., Silva-Garcia, A., Slotkin, J., Grindle, C. R., Parkes, W., Pribitkin, E. A., & Reilly, J. S. (2011). Development of a test to evaluate olfactory function in a pediatric population. The Laryngoscope, 121(9), 1843–1850. https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.21928

Disciplines

Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods

PubMedID

22024835

Department(s)

Administration and Leadership

Document Type

Article