Older Adult Normative Data for the Sniffin' Sticks Odor Identification Test.

Abstract

The current study establishes normative Sniffin' Sticks Odor Identification Test (SS-OIT) scores for cognitively intact older adults. Two hundred and twenty-six cognitively normal older adults were identified as eligible for the current study (Mean Age = 70.49 years; 71.7% female). Important demographic covariates were identified using step-wise regression, and a normative regression equation was developed. Analyses of the effects of demographic variables (including age, education, and sex) on SS-OIT performance revealed that age was the only significant predictor, b = -0.07, SEb = .01, p < .01. A final regression equation was determined and normative data are reported in 5-year increments for a number of percentile ranks. Normative performance on the SS-OIT for adults over the age of 50 was established in a large and demographically diverse sample. These data are needed in order for clinicians to be able to include olfactory testing, a sensitive marker of neurodegeneration, in their assessment armamentarium.