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Dysgeusia, also known as parageusia, is a distortion of the sense of taste. Dysgeusia is also often associated with ageusia, which is the complete lack of taste, and hypogeusia, which is a decrease in taste sensitivity. [1] An alteration in taste or smell may be a secondary process in various disease states, or it may be the primary symptom.
Most of these are accompanied by a short description or definition, links to related descriptors, and a list of synonyms or very similar terms (known as entry terms). MeSH contains approximately 30,000 entries (as of 2025 [update] ) and is updated annually to reflect changes in medicine and medical terminology. [ 3 ]
Olfaction – or the sense of smell, [276] is the process of creating the perception of smell. [277] It occurs when an odor binds to a receptor within the nose, transmitting a signal through the olfactory system. Olfaction has many purposes, including detecting hazards, pheromones, and plays a role in taste.
Organoleptic tests are sometimes conducted to determine if food or pharmaceutical products can transfer tastes or odors to the materials and components they are packaged in. Shelf-life studies often use taste, sight, and smell (in addition to food chemistry and toxicology tests) to determine whether a food product is safe to consume.
Taste is the perception stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor cells located on taste buds in the oral cavity, mostly on the tongue. Taste, along with the sense of smell and trigeminal nerve stimulation (registering texture, pain, and temperature), determines flavors of food and other substances.
Age is the strongest reason for olfactory decline in healthy adults, having even greater impact than does cigarette smoking. Age-related changes in smell function often go unnoticed and smell ability is rarely tested clinically unlike hearing and vision. 2% of people under 65 years of age have chronic smelling problems.
Diagnosing dysosmia precisely can be difficult due to the variety of causes and symptoms. Often, patients may be unsure whether or not they are having issues with smell or taste specifically. It is important to identify whether the distortion applies to an inhaled odorant or if an odor exists without the stimulus.
Chemical Senses is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering all aspects of chemoreception, including taste, smell, vomeronasal, and trigeminal chemoreception in humans and other animals. It is published by Oxford University Press and the editor-in-chief is Steven D. Munger (University of Florida).