Table 2.
Effectiveness of preparations in clearing earwax.
| Study | Docusate (water-based) | TEP (water-based) | Odds ratio (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singer et al41 | 5/27 | 2/23 | 2.4 (0.3 to 27.2) |
| Meehan et al44 | 2/15 | 7/17 | 0.2 (0.02 to 1.6) |
| Whatley et al45 | 4/34 | 4/30 | 0.9 (0.1 to 5.2) |
| Total | 11/76 | 13/70 | 0.8 (0.2 to 2.8) |
| Heterogeneity | Woolf Q = 3.6, df = 2, P = 0.2 | ||
| Overall effect | χ2 = 0.1, df = 1, P = 0.7 | ||
| Docusate (water-based) | Saline (water-based) | ||
| Meehan et al44 | 2/15 | 2/16 | 1.1 (0.07 to 16.9) |
| Whatley et al45 | 4/34 | 1/28 | 3.6 (0.3 to 183.7) |
| Total | 6/49 | 3/44 | 1.9 (0.4 to 8.8) |
| Heterogeneity | Woolf Q = 0.6, df = 1, P = 0.4 | ||
| Overall effect | χ2 = 0.7, df = 1, P = 0.4 | ||
| TEP (water-based) | Saline (water-based) | ||
| Meehan et al44 | 7/17 | 2/16 | 4.9 (0.7 to 55.4) |
| Whatley et al45 | 4/30 | 1/28 | 4.2 (0.4 to 212.0) |
| Total | 11/47 | 3/44 | 4.6 (1.1 to 18.5) |
| Heterogeneity | Woolf Q = 0.01, df = 1, P = 0.9 | ||
| Overall effect | χ2 = 4.6, df = 1, P = 0.03 | ||
TEP = triethanolamine polypeptide. df = degrees of freedom.
An extended version of this table can be found online (Supplementary Table 4).