Children who suck dummies more likely to suffer earache
Dummies can cause earache in children
Dummies or pacifiers may increase the risk of a common ear problem in children.
Research shows that children aged up to four who had at some time used dummies or pacifiers were more likely to get recurrent acute otitis media.
This is a build-up of fluid in the middle ear, the space between the eardrum and the inner ear, which is usually filled with air.
When it fills with fluid or mucus, often after colds, the mucus can get infected with bacteria and cause an ear infection.
Just how pacifiers could increase the risk is not clear, but there are a number of theories.
One suggestion is that the dummies allow the easy transfer of infections between children.
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