Odor Mixtures in Identification Testing Using Sniffin’ Sticks: The SSomix Test

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • David Tianxiang Liu - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Gerold Besser - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Miriam Lang - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Gunjan Sharma - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Eleonore Pablik - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Bertold Renner - , Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Christian Albert Mueller - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)

Abstract

Clinical tests assessing olfactory performance have become indispensable for diagnosing olfactory dysfunction. As time and personnel resources are limited, it would be advantageous to have shorter protocols focusing on singular aspects of olfactory performance, such as odor identification. However, such a unidimensional approach is often inconclusive and needs further tests (and tools). Hence, new testing methods with high levels of sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility are required for clinical practice. Here, we developed a Sniffin’ Sticks odor mixture identification test method (SSomix), with emphasis on resource efficiency and simplicity of administration. SSomix consists of mixtures of two and three odors applied onto a piece of paper using 11 out of 16 items from the original Sniffin’ Sticks identification test kit. A total of 66 healthy subjects and 22 patients with olfactory dysfunction were included in the study. SSomix showed good to excellent test-retest reliability and validity. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curves indicated good diagnostic accuracy in identifying patients with reduced and severely impaired olfactory function. SSomix was a suitable downsizing of the original kit, especially regarding resource efficiency.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number8155
JournalScientific reports
Volume10
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2020
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 32424128
ORCID /0000-0003-0845-6793/work/139025266