Smell Screening With a Mobile Test - Takeaways - MDSpire

Smell Screening With a Mobile Test

Researchers evaluated a rapid, self-administered mobile application–based test designed to screen for olfactory dysfunction in adult participants.

  • By

  • Kathryn Wighton

  • February 5, 2026

  • 3 min

Share

  • 1

    A mobile app-based olfactory screening test achieved an area under the curve of 0.87, with sensitivity of 74% and specificity of 86%.

  • 2

    The study enrolled 484 adults, with a mean age of 53.4 years, and 15% reported subjective olfactory dysfunction.

  • 3

    Participants with self-reported olfactory dysfunction scored significantly lower on the test compared to those with normal olfactory function.

  • 4

    The test utilized a five-item smell identification format with rub-and-sniff scent cards, completed in an average of 142 seconds.

  • 5

    The study's limitations include single-center design, reduced sample size for diagnostic accuracy, and focus solely on odor identification.

Original Source(s)

Smell Screening With a Mobile Test

  • by Kathryn Wighton

  • February 5, 2026

Related Content

Deprivation Tied to Lower HNC-Specific QOL

The differences were present before patients began any treatment, suggesting quality-of-life gaps may be established before therapy begins.

AAE Revises Dental Trauma Guidance

Recommendations outline splinting, replantation timing, imaging, and long-term surveillance strategies for permanent tooth injuries.

Dynamic changes in serum albumin, prealbumin, and retinol-binding protein after head and neck cancer surgery: a retrospective cohort study