gms | German Medical Science

81st Annual Meeting of the German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

12.05. - 16.05.2010, Wiesbaden

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Smoking effects on taste: assessment with contact endoscopy and taste strips

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  • corresponding author Iordanis Konstantinidis - 2nd Academic ORL Dept, Papageorgiou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
  • Aggelos Chatziavramidis - 2nd Academic ORL Dept, Papageorgiou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
  • Athanasia Printza - 2nd Academic ORL Dept, Papageorgiou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
  • Jannis Constantinidis - 2nd Academic ORL Dept, Papageorgiou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde, Kopf- und Hals-Chirurgie. 81. Jahresversammlung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde, Kopf- und Hals-Chirurgie. Wiesbaden, 12.-16.05.2010. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2010. Doc10hnod605

doi: 10.3205/10hnod605, urn:nbn:de:0183-10hnod6059

Published: April 22, 2010

© 2010 Konstantinidis et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.

Outline

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Objectives: The present study aimed to compare the taste function between smokers and healthy controls with clinical testing, subjective ratings and contact endoscopy of fungiform papillae.

Material and methods: Data were collected from 34 healthy subjects (mean age 33.8 yr; 18 female, 16 male) and 38 smokers (mean age 31.9 yr; 20 female, 18 male, 12 heavy smokers). The parameters assessed were the number of fungiform papillae per square centimeter in a non-contact way and their morphology (size, surface, capillary vessels) by contact endoscopy. In addition clinical testing of gustatory function performed with the use of taste strips and subjective intensity ratings of natural taste stimuli.

Results: No significant difference was found in clinical testing and intensity ratings between the two study groups. A trend towards significance was found only for decreased bitter taste in heavy smokers as assessed by taste strips test. The number and the size of fungiform papillae did not significantly differed between the study groups. No sex-related differences were observed. Smokers exhibited significantly more keratin structures on the fungiform papillae surface, less tortuous capillary vessels along with a significant distortion of their filiform papillae.

Conclusion: Taste function presents significant resistance in smoking although changes in morphology of fungiform and filiform papillae have been observed especially in heavy smokers.