Dermatophyte Prevalence in Tools of 43 Hairdressing Salons in Copenhagen

A questionnaire regarding the total number of costumers, the frequency of children, ethnicity of the majority of customers, and tool cleaning methods and habits was designed. The ques - tionnaire was planned to be completed after specimen sampling. Informed consent was obtained in writing from the owners of the hairdressing salons. Participation was voluntary and data were anonymized before analysis. The secretary of the local re - search ethics committee waived the need for ethical approval, as no biological material could be traced to a particular individual. No information other than the consecutive number of the type of sampling and the result was recorded. It was not possible for the researchers or others to trace the results to the sampling site. However, hairdressing salon proprietors were offered the opportunity to contact the research group anonymously by stating their allocated number in order to receive their results.