Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41062839›Full record

ArticleEuropean archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery2025

Validation of the Hebrew version of the "Sniffin' Sticks" olfactory test: a cross-sectional study in an Israeli cohort.

Idan Peled, Tom Fischer, Gilad Wasserman, Ella Hazan, Elinoy Herstain, Abraham Abergel, Narin Nard Carmel-Neiderman

Abstract readValidation Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Idan PeledDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck & Maxillofacial Surgery, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), 6 Weizman Street, Tel Aviv, 6423906, Israel.
Tom FischerDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck & Maxillofacial Surgery, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), 6 Weizman Street, Tel Aviv, 6423906, Israel.
Gilad WassermanDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck & Maxillofacial Surgery, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), 6 Weizman Street, Tel Aviv, 6423906, Israel.
Ella HazanDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck & Maxillofacial Surgery, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), 6 Weizman Street, Tel Aviv, 6423906, Israel.
Elinoy HerstainDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck & Maxillofacial Surgery, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), 6 Weizman Street, Tel Aviv, 6423906, Israel.
Abraham Abergel *Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck & Maxillofacial Surgery, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), 6 Weizman Street, Tel Aviv, 6423906, Israel.
Narin Nard Carmel-Neiderman *Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck & Maxillofacial Surgery, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), 6 Weizman Street, Tel Aviv, 6423906, Israel. Carmeln@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0628-1942

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeOlfactory dysfunction (OD) significantly impacts quality of life, affecting emotional well-being, nutrition, and social interaction. In Israel, where Hebrew is the dominant language, a culturally and linguistically validated olfactory assessment tool is essential. The "Sniffin' Sticks" test is a widely used psychophysical method that evaluates olfactory performance using threshold, discrimination, and identification (TDI) scores. To date, no validated Hebrew version of the test exists.

methodsA Hebrew version of the identification component (He-I) of the "Sniffin' Sticks" was developed using a standardized forward-backward translation process. Participants completed the full TDI test battery, the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), and subjective measures, including a visual analog scale (VAS) for olfactory impairment. Diagnostic performance was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, and internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha (α).

resultsA total of 121 participants were included: 76 patients with olfactory dysfunction and 45 healthy controls. The He-I score showed strong correlations with both TDI (r = 0.93) and UPSIT (r = 0.86). ROC analysis yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.881, with 93.3% sensitivity and 70.6% specificity at a cut-off score of 10.5. Internal consistency was excellent (α = 0.86). VAS scores demonstrated moderate correlation with objective olfactory scores (r = - 0.62, p < 0.001).

conclusionThe Hebrew version of the "Sniffin' Sticks" identification test is a valid, reliable, and culturally appropriate tool for evaluating olfactory function in Hebrew-speaking populations in Israel.

Indexed as

Olfaction DisordersSmellAdultAgedCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansIsraelLanguageMaleMiddle AgedQuality of LifeReproducibility of ResultsROC CurveSensory ThresholdsHebrew adaptationOlfactory dysfunctionSmell identification"Sniffin’ Sticks" (TDI)University of pennsylvania smell identification test (UPSIT)

Identifiers

PMID41062839

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.