State of the art olfactometers. Different types

Abstract

The complexity of human olfaction is very high and the importance of being able to measure it directly, objectively and qualitatively has led experts to search for mechanisms that can be applied. Human beings use this sense, which is one of the oldest, to recognize danger and distinguish between pleasant and unpleasant odors. Smells are mixtures of molecules that, at different concentrations in the inhaled air, stimulate the olfactory area and are recognized at the brain level. Therefore, there is a coding and decoding system. Human olfactometer techniques use equipment designed to be able to measure its intensity and quality of volatile substances. If we are able to measure this sense, we will be able to know its variations and be able to make clinical diagnoses in normal and pathological conditions and diagnose the losses that occur in certain infectious, degenerative diseases, traumatic processes and other variants. For many years, systems have been developed that can measure subjective olfaction in humans, as well as objective forms, but it is also true that there is no equipment available that is fast, simple handling and that can be applied in daily clinical services. Aim of the Study Present the recent achievements in olfactometer technology; Elaborate the scientific articles about olfactometry published mainly in the last 10 years; To gather the information published in the last years in relation to the usefulness, existence in the market and purposes of equipment that can measure the odors, what we will call the Smell-o-meter or olfactometer for human use. Material and Methods: In the first part of this research we will gather most of the information existing so far in international bibliography, as well as the achievements and utilities obtained to date. Following, we will analyze all the new concepts related to smell-o-meters devices that exist on the market and assess the possibility, based on what has been done so far, to seek new practical systems for application in the medical field.