Effectiveness of Different Pediculicides Against Head Lice Eggs
Author Information
Author(s): Stephen C Barker, Phillip M Altman
Primary Institution: University of Queensland
Hypothesis
How effective are different pediculicides at killing head lice eggs?
Conclusion
The 'suffocation' pediculicide and melaleuca oil and lavender oil pediculicide were significantly more effective at killing head lice eggs than eucalyptus oil and lemon tea tree oil.
Supporting Evidence
- The 'suffocation' pediculicide had an ovicidal efficacy of 68.3%.
- Melaleuca oil and lavender oil pediculicide had an ovicidal efficacy of 44.4%.
- Eucalyptus oil and lemon tea tree oil pediculicide had an ovicidal efficacy of 3.3%.
- The study involved 92 subjects who were randomly assigned to treatment groups.
Takeaway
Some lice treatments work much better than others at killing the eggs. The best ones can kill over 68% of the eggs!
Methodology
This was an assessor-blind, randomised, parallel group, comparative study involving subjects with live head lice eggs.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the non-blinding of the treatment applicator.
Limitations
The study was limited to a specific population and may not generalize to all demographics.
Participant Demographics
Elementary school-aged children (aged 4 to 12 years) from Queensland, Australia.
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.0001
Statistical Significance
p<0.0001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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