• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.383-397
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• 2014

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to report the effect of traditional Korean medical therapy such as acupuncture, electroacupuncture and herbal medicine in taste disorder patients. Methods: We surveyed 5 taste disorder patients visiting the Oral Diseases Clinic in the Kyung Hee University Oriental Medicine Hospital from January, 2014 to June, 2014. Before starting traditional Korean medical therapy such as acupuncture, electroacupuncture and herbal medicine, the subjects were evaluated on severity of discomfort using visual analogue scale (VAS), salivary flow rate (SFR), quality of life about oral health (based on the 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile-14) and qi-stagnation condition (based on the 23-item qi-stagnation Questionnaire). Visual analogue scale was re-evaluated during the treatment period. Results: There was no relationship between diminished SFR and severity of discomfort. Also change or loss of taste did not influence the quality of life about oral health. However, stress which refers to qi-stagnation could be one of the reasons taste disorder occurs. After receiving traditional Korean medical therapy, all 5 patients' visual analogue scale score decreased. Conclusions: Traditional Korean medical therapy may potentially be an option for taste disorder. Further evaluations including pre-post comparison with larger number of cases will be needed in the future.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.127-131
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• 2001

The authors performed the taste threshold tests in two patients complaining taste problem who visited the Department of Oral Diagnosis, Seoul National University Dental Hospital. The taste thresholds were determined using a concentration series of five tastants, sucrose ( sweet ), NaCl ( salty ), citric acid ( sour ), quinine hydrochloride ( bitter ) and monosodium glutamate ( umami ). The taste solutions were diluted by half quarter logarithmic steps. The two patients showed higher taste thresholds level than normal but the taste threshold results did not coincide with the patients appeal. Further researches are needed for developing simple and precise diagnostic methods which can be applied to the patients with taste disorder.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.341-351
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• 2009

There is tremendous variability in the ways patients present with taste problems. Because of complex and multifactorial etiological background, it is not simple to evaluate patients with taste disorders. Accurate assessment of patients' status by prudent, thorough history taking and symptom analysis is the most essential for exact diagnosis of taste disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with taste problems as a primary complaint. Consecutive series of 50 patients (12 males and 38 females, mean age $53.6\;{\pm}\;14.7$ years) were included for the present study. All subjects were requested to complete a comprehensive questionnaire. Clinical evaluation procedures included oral examination, interview, questionnaire analysis, panoramic radiography, blood test and measurement of salivary flow rate. The obtained results were as follows: 1. Among the patients, 36 patients (72%) complained of oral mucosal pain or burning sensation. Of these patients, 18 patients (36%) were diagnosed as burning mouth syndrome. 2. Nineteen patients (38%) complained of subjective oral dryness. The flow rate of unstimulated whole saliva was less than 0.1 mL/min in 14 patients (28%) and 17 (34%) had a stimulated whole salivary flow rate of less than 0.5 mL/min. 3. Among the types of taste disorders, hypogeusia, the most frequently reported, was found in 25 patients (50%), dysgeusia in 18 patients (36%), phantogeusia in 15 patients (30%), hypergeusia in 10 patients (20%), and ageusia in 5 patients (10%). Nineteen patients (38%) reported more than one type of taste disorder and the most frequent combination was dysgeusia + hypogeusia (n=6, 12%). 4. Based on data from the medical and dental histories and examinations, the patients were assigned to 12 probable causal categories. Taste disorders due to oral mucosal diseases and idiopathic taste disorder were the most frequent (n=9; 18%, each), followed by psychogenic taste disorder (n=8; 16%), drug-induced taste disorder (n=7; 14%), and taste disorder due to dry mouth (n=6; 12%). These 5 categories of taste disorder accounted for 78% of all cases in this study.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.181-185
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• 2023

We present a case report of a 52-year-old male patient who suffered head trauma in a car accident and subsequently experienced taste and smell disorders. Following the accident, the patient reported difficulty detecting salty and sour tastes and diminished olfactory perception. Neurosurgical evaluation revealed subarachnoid and subdural hemorrhages, while otolaryngology investigations revealed hyposmia-a decreased sense of smell. Upon referral to the Department of Oral Medicine, a comprehensive assessment revealed a general bilateral reduction in taste sensation, particularly ageusia for salty taste. Electric taste-detection thresholds significantly exceeded the normal ranges. Integrating our findings from neurosurgery, otolaryngology, and oral medicine resulted in a diagnosis of mixed chemosensory disorder attributed to head trauma. This case highlights the intricate interplay of alterations in taste and smell following head injury, emphasizing the significance of multidisciplinary evaluations in diagnosing mixed chemosensory disorders resulting from traumatic brain injury.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.412-416
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• 2011

Taste sensation plays a crucial role in selecting and ingesting foods with different qualities which convey information about their nutrient content and/or safety. Sweetness is one of the five modalities in humans and serves as an energy resource for metabolism. There are reports on allelic polymorphisms which influence perception of sweetness in mice and humans. Since the influence of genetic factors on taste disorder has not been studied, we investigated the association of genetic polymorphisms in TAS1R3 and guanine nucleotide binding protein, alpha transducing 3 (GNAT3) genes and taste disorder. A total of 150 individuals composed of 50 patients with taste disorder and 100 healthy controls were recruited for the study and PCR-mediated directing sequencing method was used to genotype for two different single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) - rs307355 (T>C) and rs35744813 (T>C) in the TAS1R3 gene, and rs7792845 (T>C) and rs1524600 (C>T) in the the GNAT3 gene. The allele and genotype frequencies of rs307355 and rs35744813 in the TAS1R3 gene showed a significant association between patients with taste disorder (p=0.022 and p=0.013 in both of SNPs, respectively). In addition, the frequency of T-T haplotype in the TAS1R3 gene was higher in taste disorder cases than in the controls (OR, 1.93: 95%. CI, 1.09-3.39, p=0.022). In the GNAT3, the genotype frequency of rs7792845 in the patients was also different from the controls (p=0.048), but allele frequency was not significantly associated in either group. Our result provides the frequencies of SNPs and haplotypes of the TAS1R3 and GNAT3 genes for the fundamental information of nutrigenetics in perception of the taste of sweetness in the Korean population. Also, the study suggests that the allelic polymorphisms of TAS1R3 and GNAT3 genes may be useful as a molecular marker for evaluating patients with taste disorder. Further studies with large samples are required to clarify our observation.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.203-211
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relations between sensory processing and sleep disturbances and to investigate the effect of sensory processing on sleep disorder in preschool children with developmental disorder. This study was conducted for 110 children with developmental disorder in developmental clinic and rehabilitation hospital in Gwang Ju from June to August, 2017. The final 109 data were analyzed. Sensory processing and Sleep disturbances were measured using the Shortened sensory profile(SSP) and Korean-the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire(K-CSHQ). Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis were performed. Children with developmental disorder had problems with sensory processing and sleep habits. Sensory processing was related to sleep habit and most important factors of sensory processing influencing sleep was taste/olfactory sensitivity, auditory filtering. Conclusion: In order to help children with developmental disorder with sleep problem, it is necessary to consider the sensory processing especially taste/olfactory sensitivity, auditory filtering.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.455-467
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• 2017

Objectives: This study evaluated the correlation between taste function and spleen qi deficiency in patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS) and compared subgroups of BMS (i.e., dysgeusia and non-dysgeusia subgroups). Methods: This study included 60 participants categorized into two groups: a BMS group and healthy control (HC) group. Taste threshold was measured within six levels using solutions of four basic taste qualities. Subjects' Oral Health Impact Profiles (OHIPs-14) and Spleen qi Deficiency Questionnaire (SQDQ) scores were analyzed. Results: Taste thresholds for sweet (sucrose) and salty (NaCl) tastes were significantly lower in the BMS group than in the HC group, but sour (citric acid) and bitter (quinine HCl) tastes showed no significant differences between groups. In the dysgeusia and non-dysgeusia subgroups, no significant differences in the four basic taste thresholds were found. SQDQ scores were significantly higher in the BMS group compared to the HC and in the dysgeusia group compared to the non-dysgeusia group. OHIPs-14 and SQDQ scores for the BMS group were significantly and positively correlated. Conclusions: Spleen qi deficiency is related to taste function and can be used to treat BMS patients with taste dysfunction.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.103-111
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• 2019

Purpose: Patients with taste complaints presenting with various abnormal perceptions and alterations in gustatory function are often encountered in dental clinics. Since taste perception is thought to be influenced by numerous factors including neurological and psychological factors, the gustatory profiles of patients complaining of taste abnormalities should be very different. However, the gustatory profiles based on the clinical subtypes of taste complaints have not been fully studied. This study aimed to better understand the gustatory profiles depending on the clinical subtypes of taste complaints. Methods: Clinical data from 169 patients with complaints of altered taste were retrospectively collected to analyse their clinical and gustatory profiles. These complaints were subdivided into hypergeusia, hypogeusia, and dysgeusia for each taste quality according to the clinical types of these complaints. The gustatory profiles were then established by analysing the detection and recognition thresholds for each taste quality depending on the clinical subtypes of taste complaints. Results: Clinical analysis revealed that patients with taste complaints had widely diverse clinical profiles. There were significant differences between males and females with taste complaints in the prevalence rates of symptoms like dry mouth, tongue coating, and burning sensation. While hypogeusia (76.3%) was the most frequent type of taste complaint, it was revealed that the taste thresholds were not always consistent with the patient's description of gustatory symptoms. Conclusions: Patients with taste complaints exhibited diverse clinical profiles with sex differences. Considering the diversity of the taste complaints, the quantitative gustatory testing methods can be valuable to differentially evaluate the presence and intensity of altered taste in patients with these complaints.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.314-321
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• 2002

Women with the premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) report increased cravings for certain foods and altered taste preferences ding the premenstrual period. The objective of the present study was to investigate the association of PMDD with luteal phase food cravings, appetite, and taste preferences in 1,078 nurses. Among the 626 nurses who gave valid responses, the prevalence of PMDD and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) was 4.6% (N = 29) and 78.3% (N = 490), respectively. A highly significant increase was observed in the preference for sweet tasting foods during the luteal phase, compared to the follicular phase. Desire for sweet foods during the premenstrual period was significantly different among the three groups, being highest in the PMDD group, lower in the PMS group, and lowest in women with no symptoms. Both the PMDD and PMS groups showed significant increases in preferences for pungent tasting foods during the luteal phase. A repeated measures of analysis of variance on the taste preference data revealed that the desire for sweet tasting foods was significantly greater than for others such as salty, sour, and pungent tastes. A greater proportion of the subjects in the PMDD and PMS groups reported an increase in their total food intake during the luteal phase, compared to those women without premenstrual symptoms. Compared to the PMS group or the women with no symptoms, the PMDD group reported increased intakes of high carbohydrate foods during the luteal phase. The most commonly reported food cravings were for sauteed spicy rice cakes (ddukbokki), or for cold buckwheat noodles mixed in chili pepper sauce. These results indicate that the luteal phase food cravings, appetite and taste preferences change in accordance with the severity of the premenstrual symptoms.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.165-174
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• 2015

Objective : To find whether Herbal medicine(Chengsimyeunja-eum) and acupuncture can correct hypogeusia.Method : One patient with hypogeusia related to the effects of onion juice was selected. Herbal medicine(Chengsimyeunja-eum) was administered and acupuncture was applied for 30 times in 2 months. Taste function was evaluated by self report, the way to gustometry based on Visual Analogue Scale(VAS).Result : Chengsimyeunja-eum and acupuncture treatment improved taste after 2 months of treatment. Adverse effects were not reported.Conclusion : This study shows that the Korean medicine treatment was effective in improving hypogeusia related to the effect of onion juice.