Recent trials of oil-based lice treatments

Recent trials for oil-based lice treatments have shown promising results in using physical action to treat lice infections.

Mineral Oil-Based Lice Shampoo Trial

A recent study by Wolf et al., published in the June 2016 edition of PLoS One, evaludated a mineral oil shampoo for anti-lice activity via a randomised controlled study.

The study comprised 107 patients in two groups, with cure rate ten days after treatment being the key measurement. The control was a pyrethroid-based shampoo.

Overall cure rates for the mineral oil-based treatment (96%) were similar to those of the control (94%). A greater number of those treated with the mineral oil-based treatment avoided reinfection relative to the control (78% versus 60%).

The study indicates that physically-acting lice treatments can be used with high success rates and patient tolerance.

Olive Oil-Based Lice Shampoo Trial

A recent study by Soler et al., published in the May 2016 edition of Semergen, evaluated a saponified olive oil for anti-lice activity via a randomised controlled study.

The study comprised 45 children between 5 and 15 years of age. The saponified olive oil treatment was compared to Paranix lice treatment.

Efficacy at 14 days was found to be 76% for the olive oil- based treatment and 80% for the Paranix group. Both products were well tolerated and had similar treatment efficacies.