Trial reportThe Australasian journal of dermatology2018
The efficacy of Australian essential oils for the treatment of head lice infestation in children: A randomised controlled trial.
Trial report in The Australasian journal of dermatology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Therapeutic potential of plant-based therapies in pediculosis capitis: Systematic review and meta-analysis.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Prevalence of endocrine disorders among children exposed to Lavender Essential Oil and Tea Tree Essential Oils.International journal of pediatrics & adolescent medicine · 2022Article
- Paediatrics: how to manage pediculosis capitis.Drugs in context · 2022Review
- Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Selected Essential Oils againstAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Article
- Toxicity, repellency and anti-cholinesterase activities of thymol-eucalyptus combinations against phenotypically resistant Rhipicephalus annulatus ticks.Experimental & applied acarology · 2020Article
- Antimicrobial Activity of Six Essential Oils Against a Group of Human Pathogens: A Comparative Study.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe increase in resistance of head lice to neurotoxic pediculicides and public concern over their safety has led to an increase in alternative treatments, many of which are poorly researched or even untested.
methodsA multicentre, randomised, assessor-blind, parallel-group trial (Trial 1) was conducted to compare the safety and efficacy of a head lice treatment containing Australian eucalyptus oil and Leptospermum petersonii (EO/LP solution; applied thrice with 7-day intervals between applications) with a neurotoxic treatment containing pyrethrins and piperonyl butoxide (P/PB mousse; applied twice with a 7-day interval) in children. A single-blind, open trial (Trial 2) was conducted to assess the efficacy of EO/LP solution following a single application. In addition, skin irritancy and sensitisation tests using EO/LP solution were performed in adults and children. In vitro tests were performed to further assess the ovicidal and pediculicidal efficacy of EO/LP solution.
resultsEO/LP solution was found to be more than twice as effective in curing head lice infestation as P/PB mousse in per-protocol participants (Trial 1; 83% vs 36%, P < 0.0001), and was also found to be 100% pediculicidal following a single application (Trial 2). Adverse events were limited to transient itching, burning or stinging. Further skin testing with the EO/LP solution reported no irritation or sensitisation in adults, or irritation in children. In vitro exposure of lice and eggs to the EO/LP solution resulted in 100% mortality.
conclusionThe efficacy, safety and relative ease of use of the EO/LP solution make it a viable alternative in treating head lice.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.