However, a new study published in the September 2000 issue of the journal Pediatrics shows that tubes might not necessarily be the answer. Researchers at University Medical Center Saint Radboud, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, studied the effects of different types of treatment on language development in 187 children 16 to 24 months old. Treatment with ventilation tubes was compared with watchful waiting in children with persistent otitis. Language development was tested six and 12 months later. The study found that ventilation tubes did not have a substantial effect on language development in the children.
Ear infections are the most common reason doctors prescribe antibiotics.
Estimates show that at least one-third of all antibiotics prescribed for children younger than 18 are to treat otitis media and the portion is much higher for children 4 and younger. In addition, overuse of newer drugs is rendering them less effective on the more severe infections for which they were developed. Recent recommendations from the National Centers for Disease Control advise doctors to stick to simple antibiotics, in particular the old standby, amoxicillin, as the first choice. If there is no relief after three days, the CDC recommends switching to a newer, more expensive drug, such as Augmentin, developed specifically for drug-resistant bacteria. Surgical treatment Ear tubes are the treatment of choice for young children who suffer persistent, recurrent ear infections and who have gone through three or four kinds of antibiotics.