View clinical trials related to Taste Disorder.
Filter by:Oral burning can have a multitude of reasons. Recent neurophysiologic study results suggest that a primary burning mouth disorder (BMD) may be a peripheral and/or a central neuropathic disorder. The aim of this study is to first identify patients with a primary burning mouth disorder by excluding other possible causes for oral burning. By means of qualitative and quantitative sensory testing and a gustatory examination in the individual patient the investigators want to find out whether neurosensory differences exist between patients with a primary BMD and controls and whether gustatory and neurosensory deficits always coexist in BMD-patients.
This study will explore the genetics of taste and taste deficits. The sense of taste plays a crucial role in food choices, allowing people to identify beneficial foods (those with high caloric value, which are typically sweet) and foods likely to be toxic (usually bitter substances). The loss of sense of taste in older people plays a role in decreased appetite and poor nutrition. Taste deficits may adversely affect people in ways that are not well understood. This study will examine why some people (about one-fourth of all people in the United States) cannot taste a substance called phenylthiocarbamide (PTC). The inability to taste PTC is due to inherited factors that are not yet clear. Individuals age 18 and older who can taste PTC and individuals who cannot taste PTC may be eligible for this study. Participants will taste a number of liquid solutions until they find one with a clear taste. Then they will taste another group of solutions and decide which ones have that taste and which have no taste. Finally, they will taste a third group of solutions until they find one with a different taste. About 2 tablespoons of blood will be drawn from participants for genetic tests related to the sense of taste.