Abstract
Even though the human sense of smell provides critical information for one’s health and well-being, it is still often considered a vestigial sense, and, as a result, it does not receive the attention necessary to avoid negative clinical outcomes. Appropriately investigating the sense of smell allows us to identify early indicators for the presence of disease, as well as mapping the course of disease. Here, we review screening and assessment measures that can be used to investigate the sense of smell, provide an analysis of pros and cons in different situations, and report the clinical scenarios in which the tests have been used. We argue for the use of smell testing in routine clinical practice across developmental stages, in particular using cost-effective, and time-sensitive methods.
