The Effect of Wearing a Powered Air Purifying Respirator Versus an N95 Mask on the Olfactory Function of Healthcare Workers

Abstract Background With the COVID-19 epidemic, wearing a mask has become routine to prevent and control the virus's spread. Wearing masks for long periods can have various adverse effects on the human body, but little attention has been paid to the impact on olfaction. This study aimed to investigate whether wearing a mask affects healthcare workers' olfactory function and provide a reference for clinical olfactory research and mask wear regulations. Methods We recruited fifty-six healthcare workers and randomly divided them into two groups, wearing a Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR, experiment group, N = 28) and an N95 mask (control group, N = 28) for 8h. Olfactory discrimination tests and threshold tests were performed before and after wearing the masks. SPSS 26.0 software was used for the statistical analyses. Results Current results suggested no statistical difference in the discrimination test scores between the PAPR Group (Z=-0.707 P = 0.480) and N95 Group (Z=-0.828 P = 0.408) before and after wearing the masks. The olfactory threshold test revealed a statistical difference in threshold scores before and after wearing the mask in the PAPR Group (Z= -2.595 P = 0.009) and N95 Group (Z= -2.120 P = 0.034). Both PAPRs and N95 masks reduce the sensitivity of healthcare workers to odors, with no significant difference between the two (χ2 = 0.292, p = 0.589). Conclusion Wearing a mask affects the healthcare workers’ olfaction, especially odor sensitivity. Healthcare workers wearing masks have a higher olfactory threshold than before, whether wearing PAPRs or N95 masks. More attention needs to be paid to the effect of masks on the olfactory function.