At-Home Olfactory Training

At-Home Olfactory Training With Essential-Oil Based Scents

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of a twice daily at-home olfactory training program with a twenty scent, essential oil-based smell test in patients with olfactory dysfunction.

This study randomizes participants to receive either a four scent or fourteen scent olfactory retraining protocol. Baseline olfaction will be tested with a currently commercially available smell test as well as an essential oil based smell test. The protocol involves twice daily retraining where the participant inhales the scent and makes a mental note of what they should be smelling. The training period is six months total with a visit at 3 months to re-assess smell function as well as at six months.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Have clinical olfactory dysfunction

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant women
• Unable to perform routine follow-up
• Current participation in another clinical trial during this trial
• Patients with dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, or other neurocognitive disorders
• Diagnosis of other systemic conditions known to impact the sinonasal cavity such as Wegener's granulomatosis, Churg Strauss, and immunodeficiency
• Patients who are allergic to any of the smells or components of our olfactory testing
• Chronic rhinosinusitis, malignant tumors and/or oncologic therapies (radiation/chemotherapy)
• History of surgery on the nose or paranasal sinuses
• Patients using medications that may impact olfactory function (i.e. corticosteroids)