How well does the plastic detection comb (PDC) remove nits?

A proof of concept investigation to evaluate the effectiveness of the plastic detection comb (PDC) comb, a Class I medical device, for removal of head louse eggs and nits

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN72989363

Enrollment

Registered

2014-10-31

Start date

2014-03-30

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2020-09-14

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis) infestation Infections and Infestations Head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis) infestation

Interventions

Current interventions as of 22/05/2017: Each participant is first checked for presence of head louse eggs and/or nits. If an active head louse infestation is present they were treated

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. People aged 4 years and over with no upper age limit 2. People who, upon examination, are confirmed to have head louse eggs and/or nits present in their hair 3. People who give written informed consent or, if the participant is under 16 years of age, whose parent/guardian gives written informed consent to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. People with a secondary bacterial infection of the scalp (e.g. impetigo) or who have an active long-term scalp condition other than head lice (e.g. psoriasis of the scalp) 2. Pregnant or nursing mothers 3. People who have already participated in this clinical study

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Current primary outcome measure as of 22/05/2017: The efficiency of the comb to remove louse eggs and nits is defined the proportion of those louse eggs and nits found on a section of hair using 10 strokes of the comb. Previous primary outcome measures: Removal of head louse eggs and nits from the hair. The measure of efficiency will be the proportion of the eggs within a delineated section of hair being removed by 10 strokes of the comb.	—

Measure

Time frame

Current primary outcome measure as of 22/05/2017: The efficiency of the comb to remove louse eggs and nits is defined the proportion of those louse eggs and nits found on a section of hair using 10 strokes of the comb. Previous primary outcome measures: Removal of head louse eggs and nits from the hair. The measure of efficiency will be the proportion of the eggs within a delineated section of hair being removed by 10 strokes of the comb.

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Ease of use and acceptability of the combing regimen. These will be taken during the process of the intervention, i.e. the ease of use is a subjective observation by the investigator, and the acceptability will also be assessed subjectively by simply asking the participant whether the process is comfortable or uncomfortable, so baseline will be the time point with the whole procedure completed within 10 minutes.	—

Measure

Time frame

Ease of use and acceptability of the combing regimen. These will be taken during the process of the intervention, i.e. the ease of use is a subjective observation by the investigator, and the acceptability will also be assessed subjectively by simply asking the participant whether the process is comfortable or uncomfortable, so baseline will be the time point with the whole procedure completed within 10 minutes.

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Countries

United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026