Despite reports that taste disorders can lead to changes in eating behaviour, no study of the prevalence of taste disorders in children in the general community had been reported. Studies with adults report a range from 0.85% to 30% but provide no indication of the prevalence in children. A screening study of 432 Australian Aboriginal (12%) and non-Aboriginal children (7.9%) aged 8-12 years indicated that some had a taste dysfunction characterized by the loss of at least 1, and often more, taste qualities. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a prevalence of <4% in a population as a massive public health problem. The cause of the disorders is unknown, so there is a need for a wider investigation of the causes and the consequences.
The results of this study have been published in the September 2011 issue of Acta Paediatrica (pages 1267-1271). You will need a subscription to this journal to access the paper by D.G. Laing et al (Available via CIAP for NSW Health)
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