The Korean version of the Sniffin’ stick (KVSS) test and its validity in comparison with the cross-cultural smell identification test (CC-SIT)

Abstract Objective The Korean Version of the Sniffin’ stick (KVSS) is the first olfactory test for Koreans. Although we adopted the Sniffin’ Stick, we modified it to make it more suitable for Koreans. KVSS I is a screening test, and KVSS II a more comprehensive test. The aims of this study were to apply the KVSS test and assess its clinical validity and reliability in comparison to CC-SIT. Methods One hundred and seventy-four healthy volunteers and 206 patients with subjective decreased olfaction participated. Each participant was tested with both the CC-SIT and KVSS tests and then the correlation between these two tests was analyzed. Results The correlation between CC-SIT and KVSS I was 0.720 ( p < 0.01) and 0.714 between the CC-SIT and KVSS II total scores ( p < 0.01). When the degree of olfaction based on the KVSS I was used, the mean CC-SIT score was 8.6±1.8 for normosmia, 7.3±2.2 for hyposmia, and 4.2±2.3 for anosmia. When the KVSS II total was applied, the mean CC-SIT score was 8.4±1.8 for normosmia, 7.3±2.0 for hyposmia, and 3.7±2.0 for anosmia. The means of the three group differed significantly in both cases ( p < 0.01). Conclusion Thus, the KVSS test demonstrates validity and reliability for Korean in comparison with CC-SIT.