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