Taste and smell disorders

Abstract

The oral/nasal chemosensory systems - olfaction (smell), gustation (taste), and the common chemical sense (irritation) - are crucial in our monitoring of the environment and identification of substances to be inhaled, ingested, or rejected. Under normal circumstances, our constant use of the information derived from the oral/nasal chemosensory systems influences our health and well-being. We are able to conclude that our food needs more sugar, that there is smoke in our house, that a gas jet is leaking, or that a perfume is attractive. Chemosensory disorders may not only affect hedonistic input (e.g., the bouquet of a fine wine), but also our very survival (e.g., failure to perceive a gas leak by the mercaptan odor). It has been estimated that chemosensory disorders affect approximately two million adult Americans. In a two-year period in the mid-1970s, nearly half a million patients came to medical offices with histories of chemosensory impairment. Of the 1.5 million respondents in a recent smell survey conducted by the National Geographic Society in association with the Monell Chemical Senses Center, 1.2% reported a permanent loss of smell and 62.4% reported temporary losses of smell.