Wet combing versus traditional scalp inspection to detect head lice in children: observational study

Traditional scalp inspection is a poor technique for detecting head lice, as 30 per cent of its "positive" results and 10 per cent of its "negative" results are false according to an observational study of 260 primary school children in Belgium.

False results are a worry since they lead to non-infested children being treated unnecessarily and infested children missing out on effective eradication treatment. The study, in this week's BMJ, suggests that despite the extra effort involved, wet combing is the gold standard for detecting head lice.

Contact:

Jan De Maesener, Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, Ghent University, Belgium
Tel: 32-9-240-3542
Fax: 32-9-240-4967 Email: [email protected]