Clinical studies on nasal topical medications require the standardization of "nasosinusal normality" in order to establish control groups through a specific evaluation of the upper airways. Aim: to standardize the evaluation of candidates for control groups in clinical studies on nasal topical medications. Material and Methods: healthy male volunteers of 18 to 50 years of age, asymptomatic from the nasosinusal standpoint were subjected to a sequential and excluding assessment made up of clinical evaluation, immediate hypersensitivity skin test, saccharin test, flexible nasofibroscopy and nasal cytology. Study design: Crosssectional contemporary cohort. Results: Of the 33 people originally enrolled, 14 (42.4%) were excluded for clinical reasons. Of the 19 remaining, 2 (10.5%) had atopy diagnosed in the skin test and were excluded. 17 were tested with saccharin and presented normal mucociliary clearance. Evaluation by nasal endoscopy showed abnormality in 2 cases (11.8%) and these were excluded. The remaining 15 were submitted to nasal cytology, which proved normal, representing 45.5% of those initially included. Conclusion: The proposed protocol for sequential and excluding evaluation was effective in defining candidates for the establishment of control groups in clinical studies on nasal topical medications. © Revista Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia. All Rights reserved.756 Santos, U.P., Rumel, D., Martarello, N.A., Ferreira, C.S.W., Matos, M.P., Síndrome dos edifícios doentes em bancários. (1992) Rev Saúde Publ SP, 26 (6), pp. 400-404Polosa, R., Ciamarra, I., Mangano, G., Prosperi, G., Pistorio, M.P., Vancheri, C., Bronchial hyperresponsiveness and airway inflammation markers in nonasthmatics with allergic rhinitis (2000) Eur Respir J, 15 (1), pp. 30-35Wiikmann, C., Chung, D., Lorenzetti, F., Lessa, M., Voegles, R., Butugan, O., Comparação entre solução salina fisiológica e a hipertônica tamponada após cirurgia endoscópica nasossinusal. (2002) Arq Otorrinolaringol, 6 (2), pp. 186-190Homer, J.J., Dowley, A.C., Condon, L., El-Jassar, P., Sood, S., The effect of hypertonicity on nasal mucociliary clearance (2000) Clin Otolaryngol Allied Sci, 25 (6), pp. 558-560Moreno, P., Trindade, R.P., Avaliação da formação de crostas pósturbinectomia em pacientes em uso de solução salina a 4,5 mg/g em gel. RBM-ORL (2007), 3, pp. 100-101Schwetz, S., Olze, H., Melchisedech, S., Grigorov, A., Latza, R., Efficacy of pollen blocker cream in the treatment of allergic rhinitis (2004) Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 130, pp. 979-984Ercan, I., Cakir, B.O., Ozcelik, M., Turgut, S., Efficacy of tonimer gel spray on postoperative nasal care after endonasal surgery (2007) ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec, 69 (4), pp. 203-206Unal, M., Görür, K., Ozcan, C., Ringer-lactate solution versus isotonic saline solution on mucociliary function after nasal septal surgery (2001) J Laryngol Otol, 115 (10), pp. 796-797Demarco, R.C., Anselmo-Lima, W.T., Fisiologia do nariz e seios paranasais (2002) Campos, CahCosta, Hoo. Tratado de Otorrinolaringologia, 50, pp. 627-639. , São Paulo: Roca, CapLousana G, Accetturi C. Histórico da Pesuisa Clínica. In Pesquisa Clínica no Brasil - Greyce Lousana org. Revinter, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 2002 (ISBN 85-7309-632-2) cap 1, p 1Caruso, S., Serra, A., Grillo, C., Maiolono, L., Agnello, A., Di Mari, L., Characteristics of nasal epithelial cells in naturally postmenopausal women receiving hormone therapy with 1 mg 17b-estradiol and 2 mg drospirenone: A prospective study (2008) Menopause, 15 (5), pp. 1-4Rocha, F.M.N., (2005) Relação da poluição atmosférica com citologia nasal em pacientes com rinite alérgica, , Tese de Doutorado da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo Departamento de Oftalmologia e Otorrinolaringologia, São PauloCorbo, G.M., Foresi, A., Bonfitto, P., Mugnano, A., Agabiti, N., Cole, P.J., Measurement of nasal mucociliary clearance (1989) Arch Dis Child, 64, pp. 546-550Stanley, P., MacWilliam, L., Greenstone, I.A., Cole, P., Efficacy of a saccharin test for screening to detect abnormal mucociliary clearance (1984) Br J Chest, 78, pp. 62-65Grassel, S.S., Alves, V.A.F., Silva, C.S., Cruz, O.L.M., Almeida, E.R., Oliveira, E., Clinical and histopathological changes of the nasal mucosa induced by occupational exposure to sulphuric acid mists (2003) Occup Environ Med, 60, pp. 395-402Glück, U., Schütz, R., Gebbers, J.-O., Cytopathology of the nasal mucosa in chronic exposure to diesel engine emission: A five-year survey of swiss customs officers (2003) Env Helth Perspec, 111 (7), pp. 925-929Jacobson, M.R., Juliussun, S., Lowhagen, O., Balder, B., Kay, A.B., Durham, S.R., Effect of topical corticosteroids on seasonal increases in epithelial eosinophils and mast cells in allergic rhinitis: A comparison of nasal brush and biopsy methods (1999) Clin Exp Allergy, 29 (10), pp. 1347-1355Maru, Y.K., Munjal, S., Gupta, Y., Brush cytology and its comparison with histopathological examination in cases of disease of the nose (1999) J Laryngol Otol, 113 (11), pp. 983-987Rizzo, J.A., Medeiros, D., Silva, A.R., Sarinho, E., Benzalkoonium chloride and nasal mucociliary clearance: A randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover, double-blind trial (2006) Am J Rhinol, 20 (3), pp. 243-247Puchelle, E., Aug, F., Pham, Q.T., Bertrand, A., Comparison of three methods for measuring nasal mucociliary clearance in man (1981) Acta Otolaryngol, 91, pp. 297-303Kennedy, D.W., Loury, M.C., Nasal and sinus pain: Current diagnosis and treatment (1988) Semin Neurol, 8 (4), pp. 303-314Lerner AP, Castro FFM, Santos MA. Diagnóstico clínico e laboratorial da rinite alérgica. In Rinite alérgica: modernas abordagens para uma clássica questão. Fábio F M Morato (ed). São Paulo: Lemos Editorial, 1997. Cap 4, p 47-63Manual de Exames - Laboratório Fleury. Laboratório Fleury S/C Ltda (ed). São Paulo: Always, 1996. p119