The effects of olfactory stimulation on postural control in adults: A systematic review

Olfactory stimulation has emerged as a potential modulator of postural control, yet the evidence has not been systematically synthesized. This systematic review aimed to aggregate, critically appraise, and narratively synthesize the available literature on the effects of olfactory stimulation on postural control in adults.

This systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA 2020 guideline and the Cochrane Handbook. The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD420261326528). A systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus was performed from inception to December 1, 2025, supplemented by grey literature searches and reference list screening. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-experimental designs, and clinical trials examining olfactory stimulation effects on any quantitative measure of postural control were eligible. Two reviewers independently performed study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment using the Downs and Black checklist. The certainty of evidence was evaluated using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) framework. Due to substantial methodological and clinical heterogeneity, a narrative synthesis was conducted following the Synthesis Without Meta-analysis (SWiM) guidelines.