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Loss of SmellPhase 4NCT06066307

Olfactory Performance in Culinary Arts Students

A Phase 4 study testing Olfactory training in people with Loss of Smell and Olfactory Disorder, run by Leigh Sowerby at 1 site in Canada.

Unknown status

Status not confirmed. The sponsor has not verified this record for over two years, so it may be out of date.

Official record
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Trial summary

The COVID-19 pandemic brought impaired smell and taste to the forefront of international public awareness and clinical importance. Loss of smell can impair awareness of environmental hazards, alter appetite, and have negative effects on social behavior and well-being. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Loss of Smell, Olfactory Disorder
What is being tested?
Olfactory training
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
120 participants
Where
1 siteCanada
Study dates
25 Sep 2023to 21 Nov 2024
Phase
Phase 4
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • age 18 years or older
  • enrolled in an introductory training program at Fanshawe collage (Culinary arts or Information Technology)
  • capable of providing informed written consent
  • capable of reading and writing in English

Who cannot join

  • Participants with a history of anosmia, and chronic sinus disease.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Canada1 site, 1 recruiting
  • Fanshawe College

    London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6

    Taciano Rocha, Ph.D, ACRP-CP, 5196466100 ext. 61125, taciano.rocha@sjhc.london.on.ca

    Recruiting

Other trials in Canada

About this study

The COVID-19 pandemic brought impaired smell and taste to the forefront of international public awareness and clinical importance. Loss of smell can impair awareness of environmental hazards, alter appetite, and have negative effects on social behavior and well-being. Despite the significant functional impact associated with impaired olfaction, few effective treatments are available. Olfactory training (OT), the mainstay of treatment, is a self-administered therapy which involves a routine of repetitive brief odor exposures over several weeks. The process has been shown to improve odor discrimination, identification and detection threshold. However, the structured design and daily time commitment may be difficult to adopt for some patients, leading to poor compliance. Moreover, OT only exposes patients to a limited number of odours, failing to replicate the complexity of odor mixtures experienced daily in our chemosensory environment. OT has mainly been studied with four conventional odours encompassing the major odor categories; phenyl ethyl alcohol/rose (flowery odor), eucalyptol (aromatic), citronellal/lemon (fruity), and eugenol (clove) (resinous); however, this neglects the importance of emphasizing odors that culturally specific or personally relevant to the patient. For some patients, these factors could hinder their ability to adopt and comply with therapy.

In contrast, cooking is a culturally ubiquitous activity that is already performed daily by most people, and naturally exposes us to personally meaningful and culturally relevant odors. However, there have been no published studies investigating the impact that odors encountered during meal preparation have on olfactory performance and development. The present study aims to compare the olfactory effects of culinary skills training to those of a conventionally designed OT program. To achieve this, olfactory testing will be conducted on students enrolled in a professional culinary skills training program at Fanshawe College, and a control group consisting of students in non-olfactory dependent programs at the same institution. To compare the effect of cooking to conventional OT, the study will be repeated for a second semester and students will be asked to perform concurrent OT.

Read the detailed description

This factorially designed randomized control trial is designed to compare the effects of a culinary skills training program to a typical olfactory training program on olfactory ability, awareness, and quality of life. Students enrolled in a culinary skills training program and those in a different discipline with no relevant dependence on olfactory function (information technology) will have their olfactory performance assessed before and after the completion of the program semester. The investigators will then repeat the experiment in the subsequent semester with a new group of students, asking them to perform routine OT throughout the semester.

Objective olfactory assessment will be performed with the Sniffin'Sticks olfactory test kit (Burghart, Wedel, Germany). Additionally, they will be asked to complete questionnaires that evaluate their olfactory awareness, the 32-item Odor Awareness Scale. The study aims to compare the effect of routine exposure to the chemosensory environment of cooking with conventional odor training (OT) in improving olfactory function.

Hypothesis and Objectives Objective 1: To compare the effect of culinary skill training to a control group on objective olfactory performance, subjective olfactory awareness and olfactory related quality of life.

  • Hypothesis 1: Participants who complete a semester of culinary skill training will experience improvements in odor threshold discrimination identification scores compared to students studying in non-chemosensory dependent fields.
  • Hypothesis 2: Participants who complete a semester of culinary skill training will experience improvements in subjective odor awareness compared to students studying in non- chemosensory dependent fields.
  • Hypothesis 3: Participants who complete a semester of culinary skill training will experience improvements in olfactory specific quality of life compared to students studying in non- chemosensory dependent fields.

Objective 2: To compare the effect of culinary skill training with OT to conventional OT on objective olfactory performance, subjective olfactory awareness and olfactory related quality of life

  • Hypothesis 1: Participants who complete a semester of culinary skill training with OT will experience further improvements in odor their threshold discrimination identification scores.
  • Hypothesis 2: Participants who complete a semester of culinary skill training with OT will experience improvements in subjective odor awareness that are greater in magnitude to the improvements gained by participants practicing OT.
  • Hypothesis 3: Participants who complete a semester of culinary skill training with OT will experience improvements in olfactory specific quality of life that are greater in magnitude to the improvements gained by participants practicing OT.
Being tested
Olfactory training
Keywords
Olfactory training, Olfaction, Smell, Hyposmia, Anosmia, Olfactory Disfunction
Medical subject headings
Anosmia

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Olfactory trainingOther

    Also called Smell training, Smell Rehabilitation, Olfactory Rehabilitation

    Olfactory training will be performed by sniffing four specific essential oils twice daily for 30 seconds each. Participants are encouraged to visualize the item they are smelling, while they perform the procedure, in a quiet room, with their eyes closed. The odors will comprise four major odor categories: flowery (phenyl ethyl alcohol/rose), aromatic (eucalyptol), fruity (citronellal/lemon), and resinous (eugenol).

Study groups in NCT06066307
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Olfactory training - Culinary arts studentsExperimentalStudents in culinary skill training program will perform olfactory training by sniffing four specific essential oils twice daily, over the entire semester (4-month period). The odors will comprise four major odor categories: flowery (phenyl ethyl alcohol/rose), aromatic (eucalyptol), fruity (citronellal/lemon), and resinous (eugenol). They will be assessed before and after the school semester.
Receives: Other: Olfactory training
Control group - Culinary arts studentsNo interventionStudents in culinary skill training program will be assessed before and after the school semester, without any intervention throughout this period.
Olfactory training - Information Technology studentsExperimentalStudents in Information Technology program will perform olfactory training by sniffing four specific essential oils twice daily, over the entire semester (4-month period). The odors will comprise four major odor categories: flowery (phenyl ethyl alcohol/rose), aromatic (eucalyptol), fruity (citronellal/lemon), and resinous (eugenol). They will be assessed before and after the school semester.
Receives: Other: Olfactory training
Control group - Information Technology studentsNo interventionStudents in Information Technology program will be assessed before and after the school semester, without any intervention throughout this period.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Odor threshold discrimination identification scores

    Changes from Baseline (before the school semester) on Sniffin Stick test scores considering the three olfactory dimensions (threshold, discrimination, and identification). Higher scores in this test mean better olfactory status.

    Measured: Baseline, 4 months (after school semester)

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Subjective odor awareness

    Changes from Baseline (before the school semester) on the Odor Awareness Scale. The Odor Awareness Scale questionnaire evaluates the effects of odors on attention, emotion, memory, product purchase, and the sensitivity and importance of odors. This questionnaire broadly covers odor situations pertaining to eating, drinking, nature, and social interactions. Higher scores in this test mean better olfactory status and better odor awareness.

    Measured: Baseline, 4 months (after school semester)

  2. Olfactory specific quality of life

    Changes from Baseline (before the school semester) on the Odor Awareness Scale. The Odor Awareness Scale questionnaire evaluates the effects of odors on attention, emotion, memory, product purchase, and the sensitivity and importance of odors. This questionnaire broadly covers odor situations pertaining to eating, drinking, nature, and social interactions. Higher scores in this test mean better olfactory status and better olfactory-specific quality of life.

    Measured: Baseline, 4 months (after school semester)

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted4 Oct 2023
  2. Study start25 Sep 2023
  3. Primary completion25 Sep 2024 (estimated)
  4. Study completion21 Nov 2024 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Factorial
Model description
Randomized controlled trial
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
120 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06066307
Sponsor's protocol ID
23-06-11-1
Status last verified
Oct 2023
First submitted
27 Sep 2023
Last updated
6 Oct 2023
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Yan CH, Faraji F, Prajapati DP, Boone CE, DeConde AS. Association of chemosensory dysfunction and COVID-19 in patients presenting with influenza-like symptoms. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2020 Jul;10(7):806-813. doi: 10.1002/alr.22579. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

    PubMed 32279441
  • Pence TS, Reiter ER, DiNardo LJ, Costanzo RM. Risk factors for hazardous events in olfactory-impaired patients. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2014 Oct;140(10):951-5. doi: 10.1001/jamaoto.2014.1675.

    PubMed 25170573
  • McCrickerd K, Forde CG. Sensory influences on food intake control: moving beyond palatability. Obes Rev. 2016 Jan;17(1):18-29. doi: 10.1111/obr.12340. Epub 2015 Dec 11.

    PubMed 26662879
  • Boesveldt S, Parma V. The importance of the olfactory system in human well-being, through nutrition and social behavior. Cell Tissue Res. 2021 Jan;383(1):559-567. doi: 10.1007/s00441-020-03367-7. Epub 2021 Jan 12.

    PubMed 33433688
  • Philpott CM, Boak D. The impact of olfactory disorders in the United kingdom. Chem Senses. 2014 Oct;39(8):711-8. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bju043. Epub 2014 Sep 8.

    PubMed 25201900
  • Hummel T, Rissom K, Reden J, Hahner A, Weidenbecher M, Huttenbrink KB. Effects of olfactory training in patients with olfactory loss. Laryngoscope. 2009 Mar;119(3):496-9. doi: 10.1002/lary.20101.

    PubMed 19235739
  • Pekala K, Chandra RK, Turner JH. Efficacy of olfactory training in patients with olfactory loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2016 Mar;6(3):299-307. doi: 10.1002/alr.21669. Epub 2015 Dec 1.

    PubMed 26624966
  • Hummel T, Whitcroft KL, Andrews P, Altundag A, Cinghi C, Costanzo RM, Damm M, Frasnelli J, Gudziol H, Gupta N, Haehne A, Holbrook E, Hong SC, Hornung D, Huttenbrink KB, Kamel R, Kobayashi M, Konstantinidis I, Landis BN, Leopold DA, Macchi A, Miwa T, Moesges R, Mullol J, Mueller CA, Ottaviano G, Passali GC, Philpott C, Pinto JM, Ramakrishnan VJ, Rombaux P, Roth Y, Schlosser RA, Shu B, Soler G, Stjarne P, Stuck BA, Vodicka J, Welge-Luessen A. Position paper on olfactory dysfunction. Rhinol Suppl. 2017 Mar;54(26):1-30. doi: 10.4193/Rhino16.248.

    PubMed 29528615
  • Fornazieri MA, Garcia ECD, Lopes NMD, Miyazawa INI, Silva GDS, Monteiro RDS, Pinna FR, Voegels RL, Doty RL. Adherence and Efficacy of Olfactory Training as a Treatment for Persistent Olfactory Loss. Am J Rhinol Allergy. 2020 Mar;34(2):238-248. doi: 10.1177/1945892419887895. Epub 2019 Nov 25. No abstract available.

    PubMed 31766853
  • Altundag A, Cayonu M, Kayabasoglu G, Salihoglu M, Tekeli H, Saglam O, Hummel T. Modified olfactory training in patients with postinfectious olfactory loss. Laryngoscope. 2015 Aug;125(8):1763-6. doi: 10.1002/lary.25245. Epub 2015 Jun 2.

    PubMed 26031472
  • Greenberg MI, Curtis JA, Vearrier D. The perception of odor is not a surrogate marker for chemical exposure: a review of factors influencing human odor perception. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2013 Feb;51(2):70-6. doi: 10.3109/15563650.2013.767908.

    PubMed 23387344
  • Majid A. Human Olfaction at the Intersection of Language, Culture, and Biology. Trends Cogn Sci. 2021 Feb;25(2):111-123. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2020.11.005. Epub 2020 Dec 18.

    PubMed 33349546
  • Huisman JLA, Majid A. Psycholinguistic variables matter in odor naming. Mem Cognit. 2018 May;46(4):577-588. doi: 10.3758/s13421-017-0785-1.

    PubMed 29435824
  • Spence C. Perceptual learning in the chemical senses: A review. Food Res Int. 2019 Sep;123:746-761. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2019.06.005. Epub 2019 Jun 5.

    PubMed 31285024

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Olfactory training in people with Loss of Smell and Olfactory Disorder, run by Leigh Sowerby at 1 site in Canada.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 Oct 2023. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Results are not available in the source record.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Taciano Rocha, Ph.D, ACRP-CP (5196466100 ext. 61125, taciano.rocha@sjhc.london.on.ca), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Odor threshold discrimination identification scores (time frame: Baseline, 4 months (after school semester)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06066307, which also lists 14 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 6 Oct 2023.

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