Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Olfactory training in 8-year-olds increases odour identification ability: a preliminary study

  • Original Article
  • Published:
European Journal of Pediatrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

This article has been updated

Abstract

Olfactory training (OT), smelling odours, twice per day for an extended period, can improve the olfactory function in adults. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether OT can improve the olfactory function of children aged 8 years old. Odour thresholds and odour identification ability were compared between two groups across three separate testing sessions (baseline, 6-week post-baseline, 12-week post-baseline). After the baseline test, the control group (n = 21) completed 6 weeks of bi-daily OT with odourless stimuli, whereas the experiment group (n = 20) completed 6 weeks of bi-daily OT, smelling four different odours (eucalyptus, lemon, clove, rose). A repeated measure analysis of variance was used to test for group differences across the three testing sessions. Six weeks after OT had been completed, participants in the experiment group demonstrated a significant increase in odour identification scores (9.95 to 11.20), compared to the control group who demonstrated no increase (10.48 to 10.48). No group differences in odour threshold ability were found.

Conclusion: Six weeks of OT enhances odour identification ability, but not odour thresholds, in 8-year-old children.

What is Known:

• Smell loss and dysfunction are associated with negative health outcomes such as depression and increased risk of consuming contaminated food.

• Olfactory training can improve sense of smell in adults.

What is New:

• Olfactory training improves odour identification ability in 8-year-olds.

• Olfactory training does not appear to enhance odour acuity in 8-year-olds.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

The data is not available due to confidentiality reasons.

Change history

  • 23 February 2021

    Anna Oleszkiewicz's orcid has been updated.

Abbreviations

OT:

Olfactory training

References

  1. Sorokowska A, Schriever VA, Gudziol V, Hummel C, Hähner A, Iannilli E, Sinding C, Aziz M, Seo HS, Negoias S, Hummel T (2015) Changes of olfactory abilities in relation to age: odor identification in more than 1400 people aged 4 to 80 years. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 272:1937–1944

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Oleszkiewicz A, Schriever VA, Croy I, Hähner A, Hummel (2019) Updated Sniffin’ Sticks normative data based on an extended sample of 9139 subjects. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 276(3):719–728

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Al Aïn S, Poupon D, Hétu S, Mercier N, Steffener J, Frasnelli J (2019) Smell training improves olfactory function and alters brain structure. Neuroimage 189:45–54

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Mahmut MK, Uecker FC, Göktas Ö, Georgsdorf W, Oleszkiewicz A, Hummel T (2020) Changes in olfactory function after immersive exposure to odorants. J Sens Stud 35:e12559

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Sorokowska A, Drechsler E, Karwowski M, Hummel T (2017) Effects of olfactory training: a meta-analysis. Rhinology. 55:17–26

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Oleszkiewicz A, Hanf S, Whitcroft KL, Haehner A, Hummel T (2018) Examination of olfactory training effectiveness in relation to its complexity and the cause of olfactory loss. Laryngoscope. 128(7):1518–1522

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Haehner A, Tosch C, Wolz M, Klingelhoefer L, Fauser M, Storch A, Reichmann H, Hummel T (2013) Olfactory training in patients with Parkinson’s disease. PLoS One 8(4):e61680

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Langdon C, Lehre E, Laxe S, Alobid I, Quinto L, Berenguer J et al (2018) Olfactory training in posttraumatic smell impairment: mild improvement in threshold performances—results from a randomized controlled trial. J Neurotrauma 35(22):2641–2652

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Mori E, Petters W, Schriever VA, Valder C, Hummel T (2015) Exposure to odours improves olfactory function in healthy children. Rhinology. 53(3):221–226

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Wechsler D (2014) WISC-V Technical and interpretive manual. Pearson, Bloomington

    Google Scholar 

  11. Oleszkiewicz A, Walliczek-Dworschak U, Klötze P, Gerber F, Croy I, Hummel T (2016) Developmental changes in adolescents’ olfactory performance and significance of olfaction. PLoS One 11(6):e0157560

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Stevenson RJ, Mahmut M, Sundqvist N (2007) Age-related changes in odor discrimination. Dev Psychol 43(1):253–260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Welge-Luessen A, Leopold D, Miwa T (2013) Smell and taste disorders diagnostic and clinical work-up. In: Welge-Luessen A, Hummel T (eds) Management of smell and taste disorders-a practical guide for clinicians. Thieme Publishing Group, Stuttgart, pp 49–57

    Google Scholar 

  14. Hummel T, Sekinger B, Wolf SR, Pauli E, Kobal G (1997) ‘Sniffin’ Sticks’: olfactory performance assessed by the combined testing of odor identification, odor discrimination and olfactory threshold. Chem Senses 22(1):39–52

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Schriever VA, Agosin E, Altundag A, Avni H, Cao Van H, Cornejo C et al (2018) Development of an international odor identification test for children: the universal sniff test. J Pediatr 198:265–272.e3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Hummel T, Smitka M, Puschmann S, Gerber JC, Schaal B, Buschhüter D (2011) Correlation between olfactory bulb volume and olfactory function in children and adolescents. Exp Brain Res 214(2):v285–v291

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Chen B, Haehner A, Mahmut MK, Hummel T (2020) Faster olfactory adaptation in patients with olfactory deficits: an analysis of results from odor threshold testing. Rhinology 0:0. https://doi.org/10.4193/Rhin19.465

  18. Monnery-Patris S, Rouby C, Nicklaus S, Issanchou S (2009) Development of olfactory ability in children: Sensitivity and identification. Dev Psychobiol 51:268–276. https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.20363

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Professor Thomas Hummel for their guidance on this study and feedback on this manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education scholarship for years 2018–2020 (#626/STYP/12/2017) and the National Science Center Poland OPUS grant (2020/37/B/HS6/00288) to AO.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Food, Flavour and Fragrance Lab, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, 2109, Australia

    Mehmet Kibris Mahmut

  2. Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland

    Michał Pieniak & Anna Oleszkiewicz

  3. Department and Clinic of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland

    Katarzyna Resler

  4. Abteilung Neuropädiatrie, Klinik und Poliklinik für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin, Medizinische Fakultät Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität, Dresden, Germany

    Valentin Alexander Schriever

  5. Smell and Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Technology University Dresden, Dresden, Germany

    Antje Haehner & Anna Oleszkiewicz

Authors
  1. Mehmet Kibris Mahmut
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michał Pieniak
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Katarzyna Resler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Valentin Alexander Schriever
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Antje Haehner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Anna Oleszkiewicz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Mehmet K. Mahmut was responsible for the data analyses, drafting of the initial manuscript and revision of the manuscript. Michał Pieniak, Katarzyna Resler, Valentin A. Schriever and Antje Haehner were responsible for the conceptualization, design and investigation of the study, and reviewing the manuscript. Anna Oleszkiewicz was responsible for the conceptualization, design and investigation of the study, securing research funding, reviewing the manuscript and supervision of the project.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mehmet Kibris Mahmut.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethics approval was received from Wroclaw University’s ethics committee. All participants gave consent prior to beginning the study.

Consent for publication

All authors named consent to the publication of this manuscript.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Communicated by Peter de Winter

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mahmut, M.K., Pieniak, M., Resler, K. et al. Olfactory training in 8-year-olds increases odour identification ability: a preliminary study. Eur J Pediatr 180, 2049–2053 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-021-03970-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-021-03970-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation