Covid-19 outbreak: does the use of a surgical mask impact the sense of
smell? A crossover prospective comparative study
Abstract
- We hypothesized that the surgical mask could filter some odorant
particles, leading to a transient hyposmia. - A crossover prospective
comparative study between 2 groups of 10 healthy volunteers was
conducted to evaluate the impact of wearing a surgical mask on sense of
smell by comparing the results of sniffin’ sticks test (SST) with and
without a surgical mask. - All the subjects, except one, had a
significantly better total score (TDI) without a mask. - 4/20 (20%)
were normosmic without a mask, while being recategorized as hyposmic
with a mask. - Wearing a surgical mask may reduce the sense of smell, in
a cohort of young normosmic patients.