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/