Topical Application of Coconut Oil as Neonatal Management: A Review

Abstract

Neonates or children under 28 days of age, are at the highest risk of dying. There were 4 million neonates who reported deaths each year in 2000 and 2.4 million in 2019 at the first 4-week of their life. It arises especially in low-income and middle-income countries. The cause of neonatal deaths was related to a preventable and treatable condition indeed postnatal management. Coconut oil proved as one of the herbals which safe and efficient for neonatal management. It’s had a low-cost, reachable, and widely produced in developing countries. This review collects and analyzes randomized controlled trial published studies. The database used from PubMed. The result demonstrates that coconut oil as a topical treatment is safe for neonatal management. It’s also feasible for use and has various benefits in reducing the risk of infant weight problems, apnea, hypothermia, trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), and increasing the quality of skin conditions, vitamin D3 serum level, and increasing motor-mental development. Coconut oil could be considered a proven therapeutic option.