2.3 Statistical analysis
The descriptive statistics for the continuous and categorical variables are represented using the mean (with standard deviation) or count (with frequency %), respectively. Statistical differences in the baseline characteristics between the groups were compared using Wilcoxon’s rank sum test and Fisher’s exact test. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify significant factors that affected the subjective and objective gustatory dysfunction compared with normal function. The explanatory variables for the analysis were age, sex, diabetes, hypertension, smoking, subjective smell, objective smell, threshold, discrimination, identification, and TDI. The final multivariate logistic regression models were derived using a stepwise selection with Akaike information criteria (AIC). Statistical analyses were performed using R version 4.2.2.