Sniffin'Sticks: a New Olfactory Test Battery

The olfactory test battery ?Sniffin'Sticks®? comprises a perception threshold test, an odour discrimination test and an odour identification test. The purpose of this study was to examine the suitability of the Sniffin'Sticks® for use in everyday practice and to obtain (at least provisional) normal values. Thirty normosmic and 15 anosmic volunteers were examined with the Sniffin'Sticks® and the ?University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test? (UPSIT®). All three Sniffin'Sticks® tests distinguish between normosmics and anosmics in a highly significant manner. The good correlation of the individual tests with each other and with the results of the UPSIT® documents the reliability of the test results. Critical mention must be made of the overly complex determination of the olfactory threshold. In conclusion, the Sniffin'Sticks® test battery provides a validated instrument adapted to European conditions for the examination of olfactory disorders. It has proven successful in everyday clinical practice and constitutes a major aid for compiling medical certificates.