Purpose To provide up-to-date and detailed normative data based on a large-scale sample, increasing diagnostic validity by reference to narrow age groups as previous normative values were based upon smaller sample sizes—especially in the group of older subjects. Method Data were obtained from 9139 healthy subjects (4928 females aged 5–96 years and 4211 males aged 5–91 years). The standard “Sniffin’ Sticks” test was applied, comprising threshold (T), discrimination (D) and identification (I) subtests, and yielding a TDI sum score. Results Hyposmia was established at a TDI score of less than 30.75. Age-related changes were found in each domain, most pronounced for thresholds. Individuals aged 20–30 years performed best, whereas children below the age of 10 and adults above the age of 71 scored only half as well. Sex-related differences were in favor of women. Conclusions Data provide guidance for assessing individual olfactory performance in relation to specific age groups. Significant gender and age effects were observed, with a most pronounced increase of olfactory test scores between age 5 through 20 years and a dramatic decrease at the age of 60 through 71 years.

LOSS OF olfactory function affects the patient's appreciation of food and drink; it has an impact on safety (eg, detection of spoiled foods and smoke); and it may also produce bodily insecurity: the patient's own body odors are no longer self-perceived, which, in our clinical experience and that of others,¹ has led to an exaggeration of patients' hygiene measures or the excessive use of perfume. However, the loss of olfaction can be particularly insidious and escape detection because, unlike loss of sight or hearing, it is not readily apparent to others. A good example of this difficulty of detection is that patients with congenital anosmia in our population did not discover their olfactory loss until after age 10 years. The present study was designed to investigate the consequences of olfactory loss in daily life and to explore specific questions related to the effect of the duration, degree, and causes of the olfactory disorder.

Olfactory disorders are common in the general population, but research into the consequences of these disorders has been lacking. Not until recently, when specific tools for assessing changes in quality of life due to olfactory disorders have become available, have systematic investigations been conducted. In this article we present the most important roles that olfaction plays in humans and review the scientific literature on the consequences of olfactory disorders. This review suggests that quality of life, regarding safety issues and interpersonal relations, as well as eating habits and nutritional intake are severely altered in a large proportion of patients with olfactory disorders.