Abstract
Background: Dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis (D/SD) are common and troublesome scalp conditions that affect individuals independent of gender or ethnicity. Aim: To evaluate whether population gender or ethnic origins impact the magnitude of anti-dandruff therapeutic benefit obtained from use of a potentiated zinc pyrithione shampoo treatment. Methods: A retrospective evaluation of anti-dandruff clinical data covering a single-product technology was conducted to assess whether statistically meaningful differences were observed for gender or ethnic sub-populations. An analysis of covariance was performed on the pooled subject-level data. Results: Meta-analysis of clinical data involving 1114 subjects from seven trials demonstrated the lack of statistically significant impact of gender on flaking or selected biomarker measures. Similarly, a smaller population chosen to assess ethnicity demonstrated the lack of differences between Asian and Caucasian clinical sub-population responses (flaking severity). Conclusion: Through the use of both expert symptom grading and objective biomarker assessments, therapeutic efficacy of a potentiated zinc pyrithione shampoo was found to be independent of gender and ethnicity, being consistent with the lack of functional differences in skin from these populations.
Acknowledgements
This study was funded by The Procter and Gamble Company.