know how to use google? try "sids" and "pacifier". too hard? okay, i did it for you. here's smattering of what's been well documented for years in mainstream reputable sources. read for yourself. and quibble away if you've nothing better to do, but the the consensus is hard to ignore, but maybe that's just me.
the urls follow the (unedited) block quotes:
Let the baby sleep with a pacifier. Pacifiers at naptime and bedtime can reduce the risk of SIDS. Doctors think that a pacifier might allow the airway to open more, or prevent the baby from falling into a deep sleep. A baby that wakes up more easily may automatically move out of a dangerous position. However, do not force the infant to use a pacifier. Although pacifier use has been associated with dental problems and breast-feeding difficulties, researchers say the potential benefit (decreased SIDS risk) outweighs the risks. The AAP says that one SIDS death could be prevented for every 2,733 babies who suck on a pacifier during sleep.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001566.htm
12/10/2005
Dear Friends,
Articles hit the news the past couple of weeks regarding pacifiers and SIDS. The news refers to a study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), National Institutes of Health, contract N01-HD-5- 3227. More information follows.
We have received many e-mail messages asking for more information. The public has been on an information roller coaster, the result of an explosion of medical reports, each heralding a "breakthrough in SIDS research." We need to help people separate myth from fact and risk factor from cause. We will post information as it becomes available to us.
Please keep the following in mind:
* When it comes to media coverage of SIDS, we often feel a sense of frustration in being confronted with misleading headlines, announcements of so-called breakthroughs and statements taken out of context.
* Please read the article, "Mass Media's" Role in SIDS Education, at <http://sids-network.org/media.htm>.
* This study does not claim that pacifier use prevents SIDS.
* This study's observations confirm several previous reports.
* The study concludes that, "Use of a dummy seems to reduce the risk of SIDS and possibly reduces the influence of known risk factors in the sleep environment."
∑ There was a discussion of statistical results that mention, "After adjustment for known confounders, the odds ratio for SIDS in infants who used a dummy during the last sleep was 0.08 (0.03 to 0.21), which translates to a more than 90% reduction of risk in this study compared with infants who did not use a dummy during the sleep."
http://sids-network.org/experts/pacifiers.htm
DATE: 5/10/99
RE: SIDS and Pacifier Use
There are now four published, well-designed studies which support a substantially lower incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in infants who use pacifiers compared to those who do not. According to the current data, the use of pacifiers appears to halve the risk. Two other studies, published in abstract form, report similar results. A review of the recent scientific literature demonstrating an apparent protective association between pacifier use and SIDS was presented by John Brooks, MD*, at the SIDS Alliance National Conference in Atlanta on April 9, 1999.
The reason or reasons for this apparent protective effect are not yet evident. A variety of mechanisms by which pacifiers may protect against SIDS have been proposed. It has been suggested that the presence of a pacifier in the mouth may discourage babies from turning over onto their faces during sleep. Moving or turning may dislodge the pacifier, which may have the effect of encouraging babies to stay on their backs.
Another theory suggests that pacifier use might help to keep the tongue positioned forward, keeping the airways open. Some scientists speculate that an infant sucking on a pacifier may be more attuned to keeping his or her nose free of bedding in order to breathe. It has also been hypothesized that pacifier use may quiet a restless infant, who might otherwise move more aggressively around the crib and end up underneath the bedding. On the other hand, pacifiers may stimulate the upper airway muscles and saliva production, possibly triggering brain activity and ability to arouse from sleep. Increased arousability is seen in infants who usually sleep with a pacifier, even if the pacifier is not being used.
http://sids-network.org/experts/pacifiersama.htm
"The studies have consistently shown that risk declines with pacifier use," says SIDS researcher and panel member Rachel Moon, MD, who is pediatric medical director at Washington's Children's National Medical Center. "We don't really know why. But the evidence was too compelling to ignore."
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/113/110685.htm
enough?
