The "Sniffin' Kids" test--a 14-item odor identification test for children

Abstract

Tools for measuring olfactory function in adults have been well established. Although studies have shown that olfactory impairment in children may occur as a consequence of a number of diseases or head trauma, until today no consensus on how to evaluate the sense of smell in children exists in Europe. Aim of the study was to develop a modified "Sniffin' Sticks" odor identification test, the "Sniffin' Kids" test for the use in children. In this study 537 children between 6-17 years of age were included. Fourteen odors, which were identified at a high rate by children, were selected from the "Sniffin' Sticks" 16-item odor identification test. Normative date for the 14-item "Sniffin' Kids" odor identification test was obtained. The test was validated by including a group of congenital anosmic children. Results show that the "Sniffin' Kids" test is able to discriminate between normosmia and anosmia with a cutoff value of >7 points on the odor identification test. In addition the test-retest reliability was investigated in a group of 31 healthy children and shown to be ρ = 0.44. With the 14-item odor identification "Sniffin' Kids" test we present a valid and reliable test for measuring olfactory function in children between ages 6-17 years.

Figure 1. Percentage of correctly identified odors.

Displayed are the percentages of correct identification of the 16-item odor identification test for all children (n = 537). The odors, which were chosen for the 14-item “Sniffin' Kids” test are marked in dark grey. Odors, which were excluded were significantly less often correctly identified and are displayed in light grey.

Figure 2. Odor identification score and age groups.

The boxplot displays the mean odor identification score for all ages. The age groups I, II and III differ significantly by means of odor identification score, while no age difference was obtained within a group. (* = p<0.001).

Figure 3. Comparing anosmic and healthy children.

Odor identification scores of healthy children, dark grey, (n = 537) and congenital anosmic children, light grey, (n = 25) are shown (means, one standard deviation). Healthy children scored in average 11.22 (1.87) points on the “Sniffin' Kids” test, while congenital anosmic children scored 4.12 (1.59) points. This was significantly different with a p value <0.001.