Is there a connection between pacifier use and ear infections?

Hi Regina, apparently there are reports found that there's a link between the use of pacifier and eat infections. Researchers in The Netherlands found that recurrent ear infections occurred nearly twice as frequently in babies and young children who used pacifiers as those who did not. For five years, researchers studied nearly 500 children from birth for five years. There was 30 percent increased risk of acute otitis media (ear infections). Further, the risk of recurrent ear infections was doubled. So once a child has been diagnosed with otitis media, it is important that the use of the pacifier be stopped. The reason that pacifier use contributes to otitis media is that it makes it more likely for viruses and bacteria to be sucked into the middle ear. http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/parents-warned-on-pacifier-link-to-ear-infections/

There is no direct connection between pacifier use and ear infections. Ear infection can be caused by bacteria or a virus growth when fluid builds up in the area behind baby's eardrum and then becomes infected. This is because fluid that enters this area flows through a tube that connects the middle ear to the back of the nose and throat. The tube is called "eustachian tube". If this tube is blocked, the fluid gets trapped in the middle ear. This usually happens when the baby is having a cold. The trapped fluid allows bacteria to grow. You can read more about ear infections from this article: http://www.babycenter.com/0_ear-infections-in-babies_83.bc Though use of pacificer can increase the risk of ear infections but it is not the cause of it.

Yes there have been studies made on the prolonged use of pacifiers and how it may be causing ear infections. http://www.m.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20000911/continuous-pacifier-use-linked-to-ear-infections