ArticleFrontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland)2023
Olfactory training reduces pain sensitivity in children and adolescents with primary headaches.
Article in Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of Introvision, a self-regulation method with a mindfulness-based perception technique in migraine prevention: a monocentric randomized waiting-list controlled study (IntroMig Study).The journal of headache and pain · 2023Trial
- Olfactory abnormalities in patients with migraine: a narrative review of a symptom commonly overlooked by neurologists.Journal of oral & facial pain and headache · 2025Review
- Olfactory training and metacognitive aspects of olfaction in children aged 6-9 years: a preliminary study.Psychological research · 2025Article
- Exploration of Olfaction and ChiPSO in Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Postoperative multimodal pain management: a narrative review of current practices, clinical and educational gaps, and future directions.Frontiers in anesthesiology · 2025Article
- Children and adolescents with primary headaches exhibit altered sensory profiles - a multi-modal investigation.The journal of headache and pain · 2024Article
- Inflammation and olfactory loss are associated with at least 139 medical conditions.Frontiers in molecular neuroscience · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objective: Headache prevalence among children and adolescents has increased over the last few years. Evidence-based treatment options for pediatric headaches remain limited. Research suggests a positive influence of odors on pain and mood. We investigated the effect of repeated exposure to odors on pain perception, headache-related disability, and olfactory function in children and adolescents with primary headaches. Methods: Eighty patients with migraine or tension-type headache (mean 13.1 ± 3.29 years) participated, of whom 40 underwent daily olfactory training with individually selected pleasant odors for 3 months and 40 received state-of-the-art outpatient therapy as a control group. At baseline and after a 3-month follow-up, olfactory function [odor threshold; odor discrimination; odor identification; comprehensive Threshold, Discrimination, Identification (TDI) score], mechanical detection and pain threshold (quantitative sensory testing), electrical pain threshold, patient-reported outcomes on headache-related disability [Pediatric Migraine Disability Assessment (PedMIDAS)], pain disability [Pediatric Pain Disability Index (P-PDI)], and headache frequency were assessed. Results: Training with odors significantly increased the electrical pain threshold compared to the control group ( Conclusions: Exposure to odors has a positive effect on olfactory function and pain threshold in children and adolescents with primary headaches. Increased electrical pain thresholds might reduce sensitization for pain in patients with frequent headaches. The additional favorable effect on headache disability without relevant side effects underlines the potential of olfactory training as valuable nonpharmacological therapy in pediatric headaches.
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