Limited evidence for benefit of ear drops for removal of wax

A single study suggested that applying ear drops for 5 days may result in a greater likelihood of complete wax clearance when compared with no treatment at all (number needed to treat to benefit = 8). However, it was not possible to draw conclusions on whether one type of active treatment was more effective than another and there was no evidence of a difference in efficacy between oil‐based and water‐based active treatments. There was no evidence to show that using saline or water alone was better or worse than commercially produced cerumenolytics. Equally, there was also no evidence to show that using saline or water alone was better than no treatment. Adverse effects were not common. The products included either oil‐based drops (triethanolamine polypeptide, almond oil, benzocaine, chlorobutanol), water‐based drops (docusate sodium, carbamide peroxide, phenazone, choline salicylate, urea peroxide, potassium carbonate), saline (salty water) or water alone.