Qualification Level: A
The SSParoT (Sniffin’ Sticks Parosmia Test) is developed to test on parosmia. The test consists of a total of 22 sticks, 11 of which are pleasant odours and 11 of which are unpleasant odours. In this test, the test subject is offered a pair of sticks, 1 with an unpleasant odour and 1 with a pleasant odour.
The SSParoT is the first test to measure qualitative olfactory function. This test uses hedonic estimates of two oppositely odours (pleasant and unpleasant) to assess the Hedonic Range (HR) and Hedonic Direction (HD). These values represent the qualitative olfactory perception.
The test is available with or without holders.
The accompanying manual is available in English and German, which you can download via this link.
Odours of the SSParoT
The following pleasant odours are included (with red numbers):
- Peppermint
- Apple
- Pineapple
- Banana
- Peach solution
- Coco solution
- Caramel
- Raspberry solution
- Ice bonbon
- Lemon solution
- Orange solution
And the following unpleasant odours are included (with green numbers):
- Fish solution
- Garlic solution
- Turpentine
- Clove
- Butter
- n-Butyric acid
- Iso-Butyric acid
- Indol
- Skatole
- Civet
- Valeric acid
Background anosmia smell test
An odour identification test is often used to test the sense of smell. This only checks whether someone recognizes an odour. In addition, there are also smell tests for determining sensitivity (threshold smell test) or for distinguishing odours (discrimination smell test). However, these standard tests do not take into account whether an odour is perceived as pleasant or unpleasant. However, this is an important question for the olfactory disorder parosmia.
The SSParoT test was developed to develop a suitable test for this. Below, read an abstract from the scientific publication (on Pubmed) in which the test was developed.
Assessment of odour hedonic perception: the Sniffin’ sticks parosmia test
Qualitative olfactory dysfunction is characterized as distorted odor perception and can have a profound effect on quality of life of affected individuals. Parosmia and phantosmia represent the two main subgroups of qualitative impairment and are currently diagnosed based on patient history only. We have developed a test method which measures qualitative olfactory function based on the odours of the Sniffin’ Sticks Identification subtest. The newly developed test is called Sniffin’ Sticks Parosmia Test (SSParoT). SSParoT uses hedonic estimates of two oppositely valenced odours (pleasant and unpleasant) to assess hedonic range (HR) and hedonic direction (HD), which represent qualitative olfactory perception. HR is defined as the perceivable hedonic distance between two oppositely valenced odours, while HD serves as an indicator for overall hedonic perception of odors. This multicenter study enrolled a total of 162 normosmic subjects in four consecutive experiments. Cluster analysis was used to group odours from the 16-item Sniffin’ Sticks Identification test and 24-additional odors into clusters with distinct hedonic properties. Eleven odour pairs were found to be suitable for estimation of HR and HD. Analysis showed agreement between test-retest sessions for all odour pairs. SSparoT might emerge as a valuable tool to assess qualitative olfactory function in health and disease.
What is parosmia?
Parosmia is a smell disorder. Someone does perceive the odours, but they are processed in a different way than normal. For example, odours that normally smell nice can now smell bad or vice versa. In most cases, an unpleasant odour is detected while it should be a normal odor.
Order and delivery time SSParoT
This test is not a standard test and is only produced on order. Please allow for delivery of approx. 3-4 weeks after the order date.
