Interference of variables sex and age in olfaction and taste of children with and without allergic rhinitis

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To associate smell and taste with age and sex of children with and without allergic rhinitis.

Methods

This is an observational, comparative, analytical and cross-sectional study with a sample of 127 children, 85 without allergic rhinitis and 42 with allergic rhinitis aged 7-12 years attended at the Clinics Hospital of Pernambuco. The research started on January 2012 and was approved by the Ethics Research Committee. The Free and Informed Consent Form was applied, then, medical report review, interview with parents / caregivers, nasal cleaning, evaluation of smell using a test based on literature developed for this study, oral hygiene and taste evaluation using the taste strip test were performed. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 17.0 software, considering 0.05 significance level using the Chi-square or Fisher's exact test, in addition to absolute and relative frequency data.

Results

The study highlights similarities between levels of olfactory and gustatory discrimination between different sexes and age groups of children (with and without allergic rhinitis), as there is lack of statistically significant associations under these conditions.

Conclusion

The study results contradict literature findings, but contribute in establishing olfactory and gustatory quantification scores for different ages and sexes of children with and without allergic rhinitis.

Keywords:
Sex; Child; Smell; Taste; Rhinitis