Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

2 Dentist

Abstract

Statement of Problem: Otitis Media (OM) is one of the most common diseases in young children which is regarded as a debilitating and costly important disease.Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess some of the possible risk factors that might be related to the occurrence of OM in the first two years of life.Materials and Methods: The study was carried out on 200 children, with the age of 2 years or younger. Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire on the occurrence of OM, Pacifier use, thumb sucking, blanket sucking, feeding habits and also about parental smoking, parental educational level and occurrence and duration of day care attendance. Pearson Chi Square test was used for statistical analysis.Results: More than 75% of children were reported to have experienced one or more episodes of OM during their first two years of life. It was found that pacifier use, feeding habits, blanket sucking, day care attendance, parental smoking and parental educational level were significantly associated with the occurrence of OM.Conclusion: OM was a common disease during the first two years of life and significant association existed between OM and different sucking habits, day care attendance, parental smoking and parental education. In this regard, parents' information and attention on the possible risk factors can significantly reduce the risk of OM occurrence. Key words: Otitis media, Sucking habits, 0-2 years old children