| Sumario: | Aim: An experimental study was conducted to determine whether daily lubrication of the external ear canal with olive oil enhances the normal expulsion of earwax. Method: Fifty people over the age of 50 years with bilateral occlusive earwax were recruited from 483 people attending ear care exhibitions in Essex and South Yorkshire. Earwax was initially removed from all ears following an immediately prior spray of olive oil. Each participant sprayed a controlled dose of olive oil 0.05 ml into the same ear each night for 24 weeks. The other ear was cared for in the individual's normal way and served as the control. Ears were examined at 8, 16 and 24 weeks using video otoscopy. Pre- and post-experiment interviews were conducted. Results: Nightly olive oil lubrication increased occlusion of the ear canal demonstrated through video otoscope image capture. The olive oil did not enhance the normal expulsion of earwax; on the contrary, the addition of olive oil increased the ear canal contents. This was confirmed by the median weight of ear canal contents removed at 24 weeks from the treated ears being 99.5% greater than the median weight of ear canal contents removed from the control ears. However, rather than using the olive oil for an extended period before earwax removal, it was found that all the earwax could be easily removed at first presentation by a spray of oil into the ear canal immediately before the earwax is removed. Conclusions: Regular olive oil lubrication increased the ear canal contents. However, olive oil sprayed into the ears immediately before removing wax enabled total wax removal. There is a need for further research to provide improved evidence for ear care.
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