Odor Familiarity and Improvement of Olfactory Identification Tests in
Chinese Population
Abstract
Aims: This study aimed to design the Chinese Modified Olfactory
Identification (CMOI) test based on the Sniffin’ Sticks Olfactory
Identification (SSOI) test and to present participants’ sensitivity to
unpleasant odors. Materials and methods: We recruited 200 healthy
volunteers from 2021 to 2022; in a survey, 100 volunteers rated their
familiarity with 121 odors, including all the SSOI test odor descriptors
and common odors in Chinese daily life. The SSOI test was modified
according to the survey results. The other 100 were tested three times:
the standard SSOI test, the Modified Distractors Olfactory
Identification(MDOI) test established by modified distractors in the
SSOI test, and the CMOI test developed by using familiar unpleasant
odors to replace the MDOI test odors with low correct recognition rates.
Results: Volunteers were unfamiliar with 31 odor descriptors in the SSOI
test; 23 distractors with low familiarity were replaced with more
familiar distractors. The three odors with the lowest correct
recognition rate in the MDOI test were replaced with familiar unpleasant
odors . The familiarity score was significantly higher in the CMOI test
than in others (P = 8.6864e-13 < 0.0001); the correct
recognition rate in the CMOI test was significantly higher than in the
SSOI test (P = 0.007 < 0.05). Conclusion: The familiarity
scores in the CMOI test were significantly improved; it prevented
choosing wrongly due to unfamiliarity with an odor and its distractors,
highlighting the importance of unpleasant smell with a warning function.
The CMOI test effectively evaluated olfactory function in Chinese
people. Key-words: odor familiarity;olfactory test; modification;
distractor; unpleasant odor;correct recognition rates