Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether UPSIT (The University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test) clinical olfactory function test is suitable to assess olfactory function in Turkish population.
Patients and methods: Fifty healthy Turkish volunteers (21 males, 29 females; mean age 31.5±8.7 years; range 20 to 49 years) who underwent a detailed otorhinolaryngological examination were included in the study. Subjects with abnormal findings suggesting olfactory dysfunction were excluded from the study. UPSIT and Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center (CCCRC) tests were carried out for each individual separately.
Results: Mean CCCRC test score was 6.3±0.6 out of 7. Ten volunteers scored between 5-5.75 were considered mild hyposmia, while 40 volunteers scored between 6-7 were evaluated as normosmic. Volunteers correctly identified 21.4±4.7 odors out of 40 odors in UPSIT test.
Conclusion: We concluded that UPSIT test is insufficient for the evaluation of olfactory function in Turkish population. Our results suggest that UPSIT test contains odors which are unfamiliar to Turkish population. Therefore, it is essential to either modify odors of UPSIT test or establish normative data suitable to Turkish population for evaluating the scores to avoid false olfactory function assessment.