Evaluating the prevalence of olfactory dysfunction in a pediatric population.

Increased awareness of the role of the olfactory system for safety, adequate nutrition and many aspects of quality of life should impel far more widespread evaluation of this sensory ability across large population groups. Evaluations of young children and identification of any deficits may be particularly important if critical periods for olfactory system development exist as have been shown for the gustatory system 6,17. The support from the NIH Toolbox is providing a significant opportunity to develop, validate and provide normative data for evaluation of olfactory function. The emphasis on the development of pediatric-specific tests which can be readily incorporated into large-scale clinical trials or epidemiological studies is a significant opportunity to advance our understanding of olfactory function and dysfunction across the lifespan.