title: Development and validation of a taste sensitivity test in a group of healthy children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This was to validate a taste test on healthy school children. A cross-sectional study was designed to perform  a standardised clinical evaluation of the gustatory sensitivity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty (18 males and 22 females)  children were selected. Inclusion criteria were age between 5 and 12 years, absence of systemic disease and no antibiotic  treatment in the last six months. The taste assessment tests were performed following a standardised protocol, repeated at  two different intervals: a) tested at time 0; b) tested after 20-30 days. Tests were performed using a pipette with the sample  solution: sucrose, sodium chloride, citric acid and quinine hydrochloride at different concentrations. The examiner reported  in a grid the flavour perceived by the subject. A placebo (tap water) was administered in between the flavours
  
  
  RESULTS
  The  majority of the subjects detected the bitter taste at the lowest concentration (mean=1.83). The sour taste was detected with the  second concentration (mean=2.56). The sweet solution was detected with the most diluted concentration (mean=1.56). The  salty taste has a threshold of 2 (mean=2.04), which means that the majority of subjects detected the salty solution with the  second concentration. Regarding the perceived intensity, it increases with the increasing concentrations and it reaches  maximum values that are inversely proportional to the threshold, corresponding to the second concentration. Moreover, no  statistically significant gender differences were detected regarding the threshold values or the perceived intensity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proposed test allows for a controlled, reliable and standardised evaluation of the gustatory  modality.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Majorana
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Campus
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Anedda
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Piana
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Bossù
authors: M G
authors: MG
authors: Cagetti
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Conti
authors: G
authors: G
authors: D'Alessandro
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Strohmneger
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Polimeni
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019343:Citric Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011803:Quinine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013395:Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013652:Taste Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D014867:Water; D019343:Citric Acid; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D013395:Sucrose; D011803:Quinine