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Every year, more than 200, 000 individuals see their physicians concerning chemosensory problems, and many more taste disturbances are never reported .< ref name = NIDOCD > National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, " Taste Disorders ," 25 June 2008, 23 Oct. 2009 < http :// www. nidcd. nih. gov / health / smelltaste / taste. asp ></ ref > Due to the large number of persons affected by taste disorders, basic and clinical research are receiving support at different institutions and chemosensory research centers across the country.

These taste and smell clinics are focusing their research on better understanding the mechanisms involved in gustatory function and taste disorders such as dysgeusia.

For example, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders is looking into the mechanisms underlying the key receptors on taste cells and applying this knowledge to the future of medications and artificial food products.

Meanwhile, the Taste and Smell Clinic at the University of Connecticut Health Center is integrating behavioral, neurophysiological, and genetic studies involving stimulus concentrations and intensities in order to better understand taste function .< ref name = UCHC > The University of Connecticut Health Center, " Taste and Smell: Research ," 26 Oct. 2009 < http :// www. uchc. edu / uconntasteandsmell / research / index. html ></ ref > The purpose of these studies is to unearth the biological mechanisms underlying taste and to use this data to eliminate taste disorders in order to improve the lives of taste disorder sufferers.