Dysgeusia: a matter of taste and quality of life

Patients sometimes complain that they have lost their sense of taste or have a ‘funny taste’ in their mouth. Often this taste disturbance is due to the effects of a respiratory infection and will disappear once they have recovered. An unpleasant taste that lasts a long time can be due to gingivitis and/or periodontitis. If symptoms persist, a number of other, less common causes are also worth considering.

The specialist receptors of taste sensation are called taste buds. There are multiple receptor cells in each bud. These taste cells are modified epithelial cells, not direct neurons, and they process the information about taste. They have a lifespan of about ten days, and new taste cells are constantly produced by the body throughout a person’s life.