OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 4% dimeticone lotion for treatment of head louse infestation. DESIGN Randomised controlled equivalence trial. SETTING Community, with home visits. PARTICIPANTS 214 young people aged 4 to 18 years and 39 adults with active head louse infestation. INTERVENTIONS Two applications seven days apart of either 4.0% dimeticone lotion, applied for ...

BACKGROUND Infestation with the human head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis) occurs worldwide. Existing treatment options are limited, and reports of resistance to commonly used pediculicides have been increasing. In this trial we assessed the efficacy of a product containing a high (92%) concentration of the silicone oil dimeticone (identical in composition to NYDA(R)), as compared to a 1% per...

Evidence Trials found the following statistically significant results. • Two RCTs compared dimeticone with permethrin. -A British RCT of 90 patients (aged 2 to 45)1 compared 4% dimeticone once with 1% permethrin twice (1 week apart) and found more dimeticone patients were lice free at day 9 (80% vs 36%, number needed to treat [NNT] = 3). Adverse events were similar and none were serious. -A Bra...

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 4% dimeticone lotion for treatment of head louse infestation. Design Randomised controlled equivalence trial. Setting Community, with home visits. Participants 214 young people aged 4 to 18 years and 39 adults with active head louse infestation. Interventions Two applications seven days apart of either 4.0% dimeticone lotion, applied for eight ho...

BACKGROUND A previous study indicated that a single application of 4% dimeticone liquid gel was effective in treating head louse infestation. This study was designed to confirm this in comparison with two applications of 1% permethrin. METHODS We have performed a single centre parallel group, randomised, controlled, open label, community based trial, with domiciliary visits, in Cambridgeshire...

BACKGROUND Dimeticone 4% lotion was shown to be an effective treatment for head louse infestation in two randomised controlled trials in England. It is not affected by insecticide resistance but efficacy obtained (70-75%) was lower than expected. This study was designed to evaluate efficacy of dimeticone 4% lotion in a geographically, socially, and culturally different setting, in rural Turkey ...

The article on use of dimeticone for treatment of epidermal parasitic skin diseases is potentially confusing and misleading because, in a practical sense, only head louse infestation can be treated with this material. Scabies mites are unaffected by silicones and use of dimeticone against other ectoparasites may have unwanted side effects such as anaphylactiform reactions or increased risk of p...

BACKGROUND Malathion 0.5% has been the most prescribed pediculicide in the United Kingdom for around 10 years, and is widely used in Europe and North America. Anecdotal reports suggest malathion treatments are less effective than formerly, but this has not been confirmed clinically. This study was designed to determine whether malathion is still effective and if 4% dimeticone lotion is a more e...

BACKGROUND Treatment of head lice using physically acting preparations based on silicones is currently replacing insecticide use due to widespread resistance to neurotoxic agents. It has been postulated that some products act by asphyxiation, although the limited experimental evidence and the anatomy of the louse respiratory system suggest this is unlikely. RESULTS Observation over several ho...