Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
Wearing N95 masks decreases the odor discrimination ability of healthcare workers: a self-controlled before-after study |
| Authors: |
Guanguan Luo, Xingnan Zou, Xianlong Zhou, Jiaohong Gan, Cheng Jiang, Zhigang Zhao, Yan Zhao |
| Source: |
PeerJ, Vol 11, p e14979 (2023) |
| Publisher Information: |
PeerJ Inc., 2023. |
| Publication Year: |
2023 |
| Collection: |
LCC:Medicine
LCC:Biology (General) |
| Subject Terms: |
N95 mask, Odor discrimination, Olfactory test, Healthcare worker, Medicine, Biology (General), QH301-705.5 |
| More Details: |
Objective During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the N95 mask is an essential piece of protective equipment for healthcare workers. However, the N95 mask may inhibit air exchange and odor penetration. Our study aimed to determine whether the use of N95 masks affects the odor discrimination ability of healthcare workers. Methods In our study, all the participants were asked to complete three olfactory tests. Each test involved 12 different odors. The participants completed the test while wearing an N95 mask, a surgical mask, and no mask. The score for each olfactory test was documented. Results The olfactory test score was significantly lower when the participants wore N95 masks than when they did not wear a mask (7 vs. 10, p |
| Document Type: |
article |
| File Description: |
electronic resource |
| Language: |
English |
| ISSN: |
2167-8359 |
| Relation: |
https://peerj.com/articles/14979.pdf; https://peerj.com/articles/14979/; https://doaj.org/toc/2167-8359 |
| DOI: |
10.7717/peerj.14979 |
| Access URL: |
https://doaj.org/article/18b3f52429534020aa31b474e72ae3ea |
| Accession Number: |
edsdoj.18b3f52429534020aa31b474e72ae3ea |
| Database: |
Directory of Open Access Journals |
