
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 15, 1995                   TAG: 9511150054
SECTION: NATL/INTL                    PAGE: A-7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: CHICAGO                                LENGTH: Short

STUDY: PACIFIER USERS GET MORE EAR INFECTIONS

Children younger than 3 who suck on pacifiers have a higher rate of ear infections than kids who manage without them, according to researchers in Finland, who recommend parents restrict pacifier use to the baby's first 10 months, when the risk of middle-ear infections is uncommon.

Their study, published Tuesday inPediatrics, needs to be corroborated, said Dr. Jerome Klein, professor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine.

Researchers theorize that a pacifier may increase the discharge of saliva - through which germs can be spread.

- Associated Press

by CNB