Objective: To assess the validity of the Arabic version of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test in the Egyptian population.
Patients and Methods: This was a cross sectional study including 124 normal Egyptian subjects. Socioeconomic standard was assessed, and patients were categorized into three categories; low, moderate and high socioeconomic levels. The total number of correct answers for the 40 odorants presented was used to determine the test score. The difficulty level of the test was checked by a visual analogue scale. The percentage of the study sample detecting every odor was calculated. Internal consistency of the test was checked by cronbach's alpha test.
Results: The study group included 87 females and 37 males with a mean age of 29.28 ±5.92 years. The average smell identification test score for all participants was 31.49 ± 1.74. The average visual analog scale score for ease of applicability of the test was 7.13 ± 0.58 with no significant difference between males and females. The smell identification test score was higher among males than females with little significance. Participants with high and moderate socio-economic standards reported significantly higher test score. Thirty-one odors were correctly identified by at least 70% of the volunteers, Overall alpha was 0.749.
Conclusion: The Arabic version of University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test is an adequate tool for assessment of olfaction in the Egyptian population. But 9 Odorants of this test needs further revision. Males and higher socioeconomic levels were associated with better test results.