A Erras | PubMed Health

PubMed2000

Assessment of gustatory function by means of tasting tablets.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a simple test for the screening of gustatory function in clinical settings. STUDY DESIGN: We tested 101 healthy volunteers (44 male and 57 female volunteers; mean age, 47 y) with the following gustatory test: the substances sucrose (sweet), citric acid (sour), sodium chloride (salty), and caffeine (bitter) were presented as tablets (diameter 4 mm) similar to common sweetener tablets. For quantitative assessment of whole-mouth gustatory function we used six different dosages with dilutions of each tastant in 50% steps. The highest dosage could be easily detected (sucrose, 30 mg; citric acid, 3 mg; sodium chloride, 2 mg; caffeine, 2 mg), and the lowest concentration was within threshold range. METHODS: Twenty-eight tablets (six different dosages of the four basic tastes plus four tasteless tablets) were tried in a randomized order. The entire test required 15 to 20 minutes. To evaluate the within-subject test-retest reliability, sessions were repeated after 1 week. Results were compared with those obtained by means of a conventional three-drop, forced-choice procedure using the method of ascending limits. RESULTS: Results of the new gustatory test were significantly correlated with those obtained using the three-drop, forced-choice procedure (correlation coefficient [r] = 0.66, P<.001). In general, women performed better than men. Furthermore, younger subjects exhibited a significantly higher gustatory sensitivity in both tests compared with older subjects. CONCLUSIONS: This quantitative test of whole-mouth gustatory function is easy to use, can be self-administered, requires little time, and has a long shelf-life. It appears to be suited for routine clinical assessment of gustatory function.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

A test for the screening of taste function.

The overall aim of the present study was to investigate a new method for the screening of taste function in a clinical context. Instead of dripping liquids onto the tongue, thin edible wavers were used. One-hundred healthy subjects participated in the study (41 male, 59 female; mean age: 52 years; age range: 20-89 years). Supra-threshold taste stimuli were presented as flavoured wavers made from flour and water. Sequential testing was performed regionally on the anterior one-third of the tongue and as whole mouth testing. When comparing ratings for the 5 different wavers separately for regional and whole mouth testing, differences between qualities only emerged for regional testing. Women were found to have less difficulty in taste identification which was most pronounced for regional testing. No effects of the subjects' age were observed. In conclusion, the wavers were found to be easy to use; they have a shelf-life of 2 to 3 years and can be carried in the pocket. The results indicate that the wavers may be suited for the screening of gustatory function, especially in a clinical setting.

Adult↗