The Air Force Safety Center is a Field Operating Agency with headquarters at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.
The Finnish researchers are unsure why the use of a pacifier might lead to an ear infection, but theorized it may have something to do with the change in pressure equilibrium inside the ear caused by the sucking.
Pacifier use and otitis media in infants twelve months of age or younger. Pediatr Dent. 1999 Jul-Aug;21(4):255-60. Uhari M, Mantysaari K, Niemela M. A meta-analytic review of the risk factors for acute otitis media. Clin Infect Dis 1996 Jun;22(6):1079-83. M Niemela, M Uhari, and M Mottonen.