Olive Oil Drops and Their Effect on Earwax Accumulation

Ear wax is a normal secretion that is produced by specialised glands in the ear. In medical terms earwax is called cerumen, a combination of natural oily secretions from the ceruminous glands, dead skin cells and debris, and serves a very significant purpose. In the majority of cases, ear wax does not need to be removed. The waxy substance protects the ear canal against dust, pollen and water, and due to its acidity is bacteriostatic i.e. it discourages the multiplication of bacteria. It also lubricates the skin lining of the ear canal, preventing the skin from drying out.

The focus of the research is to investigate the application of olive oil and its impact on accumulation of wax to adults. In this research, the participants were invited to attend one of our selected clinics in London on a specific date. Their ears were examined thoroughly for any wax occlusion or other pathology and wax was removed and/or medical referral was made as necessary. They were briefed to use a type of olive oil of their preference in just one ear at a given interval, and attend approximately every two weeks for a period of 24 weeks for the researcher to visually estimate the percentage of wax occlusion in both ears. The study showed that in the majority of cases, olive oil drops do not reduce earwax build-up. The review was restricted to a small cohort of volunteers (N = 60) and therefore the result was potentially weak.

The principal finding of the study is that contrary to current recommendations, the regular application of olive oil hastens the accumulation of ear wax in individuals susceptible to ear wax occlusion.

Content

Author and article information

Journal

Title: ScienceOpen Preprints

Publisher: ScienceOpen

Publication date (Electronic preprint): 22 March 2024

Affiliations

[1 ] SAERA School of Advanced Education;

Author notes

[* ]Email: mary.levy@ 123456hearingfirst.co.uk .

Author information

Mary Levy https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6164-6399

Article

DOI: 10.14293/PR2199.000778.v1

SO-VID: 215d82e7-1665-4462-80cd-8402eeee4fcd

License:

This work has been published open access under Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0 , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Conditions, terms of use and publishing policy can be found at www.scienceopen.com .

History

Date received : 22 March 2024

References

Aaron Ksenia, Cooper Tess E, Warner Laura, Burton Martin J. Ear drops for the removal of ear wax. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Vol. 2018(10)2018. Wiley. [Cross Ref]
Alabi BiodunSulyman, Adegbiji WaheedAtilade, Olajuyin OyebanjiAnthony, Nwawolo CC. Earwax impaction: Symptoms, predisposing factors and perception among Nigerians. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. Vol. 3(4)2014. Medknow. [Cross Ref]
Aung T. 10-minute consultation: Removal of ear wax. BMJ. Vol. 325(7354)2002. BMJ. [Cross Ref]
The society of medical officers of health and the royal college of general practitioners. Public Health. Vol. 85(5):249–251. 1971. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]
Brkic Fuad. Significance of Ear Wax Impaction in School Children. Acta Medica Saliniana. Vol. 39(1)2010. University Clinical Centre Tuzla. [Cross Ref]
Gabriel OlajideToye. Cerumen impaction: Challenges and management profile in a rural health facility. Nigerian Medical Journal. Vol. 56(6)2015. Medknow. [Cross Ref]
Earwax Buildup. Pediatric Patient Education. 2023. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). [Cross Ref]
Rowe Rachael. Royal Marsden Hospital Manual of Clinical Nursing ProceduresRoyal Marsden Hospital Manual of Clinical Nursing Procedures. Nursing Standard. Vol. 19(2)2004. RCN Publishing Ltd. [Cross Ref]
Spear Samuel A., Arriaga Moises A.. Recent Advances in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Vol. 2, Anil K Lalwani, Markus HF Pfister. New Delhi, India. Otology & Neurotology. Vol. 34(9)2013. Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). [Cross Ref]
Lancken J. H.. Clinical otoscopy — a text and colour atlas. M. Hawke, M. Keene, P. W. Alberti. Medical Journal of Australia. Vol. 143(S1)1985. AMPCo. [Cross Ref]
Dimond Bridgit. The British National Formulary and other medicine indexes. British Journal of Nursing. Vol. 12(10):620–622. 2003. Mark Allen Group. [Cross Ref]
Aaron Ksenia, Cooper Tess E, Warner Laura, Burton Martin J. Ear drops for the removal of ear wax. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Vol. 2018(10)2018. Wiley. [Cross Ref]
Nagala Sidhartha, Singh Pranay, Tostevin Philippa. Extent of cotton-bud use in ears. British Journal of General Practice. Vol. 61(592):662–663. 2011. Royal College of General Practitioners. [Cross Ref]
Nakano Motoi, Miwa Nobutomo, Hirano Akiyoshi, Yoshiura Koh-ichiro, Niikawa Norio. A strong association of axillary osmidrosis with the wet earwax type determined by genotyping of the ABCC11 gene. BMC Genetics. Vol. 10(1)2009. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. [Cross Ref]
earwax, n.Oxford English Dictionary. 2023. Oxford University Press. [Cross Ref]
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)The Grants Register 2019. 2019. Palgrave Macmillan UK. [Cross Ref]
Prowse S J, Mulla O. Aural microsuction for wax impaction: survey of efficacy and patient perception. The Journal of Laryngology & Otology. Vol. 128(7):621–625. 2014. Cambridge University Press (CUP). [Cross Ref]
Schwartz Seth R., Magit Anthony E., Rosenfeld Richard M., Ballachanda Bopanna B., Hackell Jesse M., Krouse Helene J., Lawlor Claire M., Lin Kenneth, Parham Kourosh, Stutz David R., Walsh Sandy, Woodson Erika A., Yanagisawa Ken, Cunningham Eugene R.. Clinical Practice Guideline (Update): Earwax (Cerumen Impaction). Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. Vol. 156(S1)2017. Wiley. [Cross Ref]
Schwartz Seth R., Magit Anthony E., Rosenfeld Richard M., Ballachanda Bopanna B., Hackell Jesse M., Krouse Helene J., Lawlor Claire M., Lin Kenneth, Parham Kourosh, Stutz David R., Walsh Sandy, Woodson Erika A., Yanagisawa Ken, Cunningham Eugene R.. Clinical Practice Guideline (Update): Earwax (Cerumen Impaction) Executive Summary. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. Vol. 156(1):14–29. 2017. Wiley. [Cross Ref]
Roland Peter S., Smith Timothy L., Schwartz Seth R., Rosenfeld Richard M., Ballachanda Bopanna, Earll Jerry M., Fayad Jose, Harlor Allen D., Hirsch Barry E., Jones Stacie S., Krouse Helene J., Magit Anthony, Nelson Carrie, Stutz David R., Wetmore Stephen. Clinical practice guideline: Cerumen impaction. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. Vol. 139(3S1)2008. Wiley. [Cross Ref]
Thomas A M, Poojary B, Badaridatta H C. Facial nerve palsy as a complication of ear syringing. The Journal of Laryngology & Otology. Vol. 126(7):714–716. 2012. Cambridge University Press (CUP). [Cross Ref]

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] Aaron Ksenia, Cooper Tess E, Warner Laura, Burton Martin J. Ear drops for the removal of ear wax. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Vol. 2018(10)2018. Wiley. [Cross Ref]

[2] Alabi BiodunSulyman, Adegbiji WaheedAtilade, Olajuyin OyebanjiAnthony, Nwawolo CC. Earwax impaction: Symptoms, predisposing factors and perception among Nigerians. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. Vol. 3(4)2014. Medknow. [Cross Ref]

[3] Aung T. 10-minute consultation: Removal of ear wax. BMJ. Vol. 325(7354)2002. BMJ. [Cross Ref]

[4] The society of medical officers of health and the royal college of general practitioners. Public Health. Vol. 85(5):249–251. 1971. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]

[5] Brkic Fuad. Significance of Ear Wax Impaction in School Children. Acta Medica Saliniana. Vol. 39(1)2010. University Clinical Centre Tuzla. [Cross Ref]

[6] Gabriel OlajideToye. Cerumen impaction: Challenges and management profile in a rural health facility. Nigerian Medical Journal. Vol. 56(6)2015. Medknow. [Cross Ref]

[7] Earwax Buildup. Pediatric Patient Education. 2023. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). [Cross Ref]

[8] Rowe Rachael. Royal Marsden Hospital Manual of Clinical Nursing ProceduresRoyal Marsden Hospital Manual of Clinical Nursing Procedures. Nursing Standard. Vol. 19(2)2004. RCN Publishing Ltd. [Cross Ref]

[9] Spear Samuel A., Arriaga Moises A.. Recent Advances in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Vol. 2, Anil K Lalwani, Markus HF Pfister. New Delhi, India. Otology & Neurotology. Vol. 34(9)2013. Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). [Cross Ref]

[10] Lancken J. H.. Clinical otoscopy — a text and colour atlas. M. Hawke, M. Keene, P. W. Alberti. Medical Journal of Australia. Vol. 143(S1)1985. AMPCo. [Cross Ref]

[11] Dimond Bridgit. The British National Formulary and other medicine indexes. British Journal of Nursing. Vol. 12(10):620–622. 2003. Mark Allen Group. [Cross Ref]

[12] Aaron Ksenia, Cooper Tess E, Warner Laura, Burton Martin J. Ear drops for the removal of ear wax. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Vol. 2018(10)2018. Wiley. [Cross Ref]

[13] Nagala Sidhartha, Singh Pranay, Tostevin Philippa. Extent of cotton-bud use in ears. British Journal of General Practice. Vol. 61(592):662–663. 2011. Royal College of General Practitioners. [Cross Ref]

[14] Nakano Motoi, Miwa Nobutomo, Hirano Akiyoshi, Yoshiura Koh-ichiro, Niikawa Norio. A strong association of axillary osmidrosis with the wet earwax type determined by genotyping of the ABCC11 gene. BMC Genetics. Vol. 10(1)2009. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. [Cross Ref]

[15] earwax, n.Oxford English Dictionary. 2023. Oxford University Press. [Cross Ref]

[16] National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)The Grants Register 2019. 2019. Palgrave Macmillan UK. [Cross Ref]

[17] Prowse S J, Mulla O. Aural microsuction for wax impaction: survey of efficacy and patient perception. The Journal of Laryngology & Otology. Vol. 128(7):621–625. 2014. Cambridge University Press (CUP). [Cross Ref]

[18] Schwartz Seth R., Magit Anthony E., Rosenfeld Richard M., Ballachanda Bopanna B., Hackell Jesse M., Krouse Helene J., Lawlor Claire M., Lin Kenneth, Parham Kourosh, Stutz David R., Walsh Sandy, Woodson Erika A., Yanagisawa Ken, Cunningham Eugene R.. Clinical Practice Guideline (Update): Earwax (Cerumen Impaction). Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. Vol. 156(S1)2017. Wiley. [Cross Ref]

[19] Schwartz Seth R., Magit Anthony E., Rosenfeld Richard M., Ballachanda Bopanna B., Hackell Jesse M., Krouse Helene J., Lawlor Claire M., Lin Kenneth, Parham Kourosh, Stutz David R., Walsh Sandy, Woodson Erika A., Yanagisawa Ken, Cunningham Eugene R.. Clinical Practice Guideline (Update): Earwax (Cerumen Impaction) Executive Summary. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. Vol. 156(1):14–29. 2017. Wiley. [Cross Ref]

[20] Roland Peter S., Smith Timothy L., Schwartz Seth R., Rosenfeld Richard M., Ballachanda Bopanna, Earll Jerry M., Fayad Jose, Harlor Allen D., Hirsch Barry E., Jones Stacie S., Krouse Helene J., Magit Anthony, Nelson Carrie, Stutz David R., Wetmore Stephen. Clinical practice guideline: Cerumen impaction. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. Vol. 139(3S1)2008. Wiley. [Cross Ref]

[21] Thomas A M, Poojary B, Badaridatta H C. Facial nerve palsy as a complication of ear syringing. The Journal of Laryngology & Otology. Vol. 126(7):714–716. 2012. Cambridge University Press (CUP). [Cross Ref]