Does tongue base mucosectomy affect taste sensation?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The impact of tongue base mucosectomy on taste sensation
IRAS ID
266402
Contact name
Jimmy Ng
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 2 months, 31 days
Research summary
Taste sensation in the tongue can be divided into two areas - anterior and posterior (front and back) - due to different innervations. Operations or alteration of anatomy to these areas or the nerve supply may affect taste sensation. Tongue base mucosectomy is a surgical procedure to remove disease involving the top layer in the posterior part of tongue. This is a new approach to early stage tumours in this area or to seek the origin of cancer. This study aims to elucidate the significance of the impact of this procedure in taste sensation as it remains largely unknown. For the purpose of this study, people who had undergone tongue base mucosectomy, tonsillectomy (to ascertain whether the use of Boyle-Davis gag could be a confounding factor in affecting taste sensation in this tongue region) and a surgery in the neck region (control) where taste innervation pathways are unrelated, will be eligible. They will be invited to a clinic in the hospital to undergo a simple, validated taste test for not longer than an hour. The test involves having taste strips placed in different parts of tongue, where participants give a response based on what they taste i.e. bitter, sweet, sour, salt. Participants allergic to the substances in taste strips will be excluded, and there is thought to be no harm in this simple test.
REC name
London - London Bridge Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/1409
Date of REC Opinion
31 Oct 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion