Identification of the most common Odours Recognizable in the South Indian Community: A Preliminary Survey
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52314/kjent.2023.v2i1.18Keywords:
Olfaction, Questionnaire survey,, OdorantsAbstract
Background: There is increasing medical evidence regarding olfaction disorders being a key to the diagnosis of diseases. However, there is a lack of a simple kit that can test the sense of smell in local populations; in the present case, the south Indian one.
Method: Creation, and dissemination, of a questionnaire to random cross-section of people domiciled in south India, to obtain a list of commonly recognized smells (odourants), followed by collating the results.
Results: Responses to the questionnaire were obtained from 135 individuals, listing a total of 651 odourants. Jasmine and Coffee were the top 2 odourants in the south Indian population; many others were also listed that indicated the local-specific nature of the sense of olfaction.
Conclusions: There is a need to create an olfaction kit using odourants that can be readily identified amongst a given set of people. The present survey has proved useful in identifying such a set applicable in the south Indian population.
