Taste impairment means there is a problem with your sense of taste. Problems range from distorted taste to a complete loss of the sense of taste. However, a complete inability to taste is rare.

The tongue can detect only sweet, salty, sour, and bitter tastes. Much of what is perceived as "taste" is actually smell. People who have taste problems often have a smell disorder that can make it hard to identify a food's flavor. (Flavor is a combination of taste and smell.)

Taste problems can be caused by anything that interrupts the transfer of taste sensations to the brain, or by conditions that affect the way the brain interprets these sensations.

• Aging (the number of taste buds decrease with age)
• Bell's palsy
• Common cold
• Flu
• Gingivitis
• Heavy smoking (especially pipe smoking)
• Injury to the mouth, nose, or head
• Mouth dryness
• Nasal infection, nasal polyps, sinusitis
• Pharyngitis
• Salivary gland infections
• Side effects of medicines, including antithyroid drugs, captopril, griseofulvin, lithium, penicillamine, procarbazine, rifampin, vinblastine, and vincristine
• Sjogren syndrome
• Strep throat
• Vitamin B-12 or zinc deficiency