This document discusses taste abnormalities and their causes, diagnosis, and treatment. It begins with an introduction to taste and the different taste buds. There are five basic tastes: salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and umami. Taste abnormalities can be caused by anything interrupting the taste pathways or affecting how the brain interprets tastes. Diagnosis involves subjective and objective taste testing to identify thresholds and qualities. Treatment includes dietary modifications, managing conditions causing taste issues, and zinc supplements.

1. TASTE ABNORMALITIES
PRESENTED BY
DR: SUMITA
LECTURE (ORAL MEDICINE)

2. INTRODUCTION
Taste is a flavour , a combination of taste, smell, texture
(touch sensation) and other physical features (e.g
temperature)
Taste buds on the tongue are on the fungiform,
circumvallate and foliate but not on the filliform
papillae.
Fungiform papillae are innervated by chorda tympani
branch of facial nerve, responding mainly to Nacl or
both Nacl and sucrose
Foliate papillae are predominantly sensitive to sour taste ,
innervated by glossopharyngeal , responding mainly to
bitter.

3. Circumvallate papillae confer a sour/bitter
sensitivity to the posterior two-third of the
tongue, innervated by glossopharyngeal nerve ,
they respond mainly to bitter.

4. There are five basic types of taste:
1. salt taste
2. Sour taste
3. Sweet taste
4. Bitter taste
5. Umami taste.

5. TERMINOLOGIES FOR TASTE
DISORDERS
1. ABSENCE – ( AGEUISA)
2. DIMINISHED – ( HYPOGEUISA / PARTIAL
TASTE LOSS)
3. DISTORTED – ( DYSGEUSIA/ PERSISTENT
ABNORMAL TASTE)
4. HEIGHTENED – (HYPERGEUISA)

6. CAUSES
• Taste abnormalities can be caused by anything
that interrupts the taste pathways from the
mucosa, taste buds , non-myelinated nerves
or cranial nerves to the brain stem and brain
or conditions that affect the way the brain
interprets taste stimuli.

7. LOCAL CAUSES
1. XEROSTOMIA
2. IRRADIATION OF THE ORAL CAVITY
DRUGS
1. ANTIHISTAMINES
2. ANTIHYPERTENSIVE
3. ANTIDEPRESSANT
4. CYTOTOXIC AGENTS
5. PROTEASE INHIBITORS

8. VIRAL INFECTIONS
1. UPPER RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS
• COMMON COLD
• INFLUENZA
• NASAL INFECTION
• NASAL POLYPS
• SINUSITIS
• VIRAL PHARYNGITIS
• HEAD INJURIES DUE TO TEARING OF OLFACTORY
FIBERS AND AGING

9. METABOLIC DISORDERS
1. CHRONIC RENAL FAILURE
2. HEPATIC DISEASE
NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCY
1. GASTRIC REGURGITATION
2. ZINC DEFICIENCY
3. VITAMIN B DEFICIENCY

10. ENDOCRINE DISORDERS
1. ADDISON’S DISEASE
2. DIABETES
3. CUSHING’S SYNDROME
4. HYPOPITUITARISM
5. HYPTHYROIDISM
AGEING

11. NEUROLOGICAL CAUSES
1. ALZEIHMERS DISEASE
2. CHORDA TYMPANI DAMAGE
3. FACIAL PALSY
4. HEAD TRAUMA
5. MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
6. PARKINSON’S DISEASE
7. TEMPORAL LOBE EPILEPSY

12. DIAGNOSIS
1. SUBJECTIVE
A-CHEMICAL GUSTOMETRY
• Solutions applied via drps,paper disks swabs
• Detection of lowest concentration (threshold)
• Supra-threshold concentration also used
b. ELECTROGUSTOMETRY
• Recognition of electrical change but does not
define taste quality.

13. 2.OBJECTIVE
Positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic
resonance imaging
TASTE TESTING
• Studies of threshold in human subjects
commonly use:
a. Sucrose for sweet taste
b. Vinegar or citric acid to produce sour taste
concentrations
c. Sodium chloride for the taste of salt.

14. TREATMENT
1. Dietary counselling/ modifications e.g. add
seasoning , avoid unpleasant foods, extend
dietary choice (pleasing colour,smell etc)
2. Manage xerostomia
3. Manage oral disease
4. Tab: zinc sulphate (reduce severity and
duration of taste dysfunction)