Infant sleeping with pacifier.
Beijing, Dec. 9 (Xinhuanet)-- Babies with dummies when sleeping are at much lower risk of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), US researchers suggested.
They believe that the dummy may protect the baby in several ways, including keeping a space between potentially smothering bed clothes and the nose and mouth.
The findings reinforce recommendations made recently by the American Academy of Pediatrics that pacifiers be used at nap and bedtimes in the first year of life.
In the latest study, published today in the British Medical Journal, Dr. De-Kun Li and his colleagues at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California, in collaboration with researchers at the US National Institutes of Health, interviewed 185 mothers who had just lost their infants to SIDS and 312 mothers whose babies were developing normally.
Use of a pacifier, the scientists reported, reduced the risk of SIDS by 90 percent.
"Use of a dummy is associated with a substantial reduction in the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)," said Dr Li.
"Our results also provide some evidence that use of a dummy may reduce the impact of other risk factors for SIDS, especially those related to adverse sleep conditions." he said.
The researchers concluded that the use of dummies may be an effective strategy for public health intervention. Enditem
(Agencies)
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