Thermometer Forehead vs Ear

Thermometers are used to get someone's temperature to check if the person has a fever. There are several types of thermometer that are available in the market. To get the body temperature, a thermometer is placed on the armpit, mouth, rectal, ears or forehead. For babies, there are pacifier thermometers, however some find it a bit difficult to use for newborns.

Most thermometers nowadays are digital and is safe to use for both children and adults. Since there are different kinds of thermometers many are wondering which one is better between forehead and ear thermometers. Many hospitals use these kinds of thermometers as it is easier and faster to check a patient's temperature. These kinds of digital thermometers use infrared.

Tympanic thermometer or commonly known as digital ear thermometer works by getting the temperature through the ear canal with the use of infrared ray. Accuracy may not be 100% as earwax might prevent from getting an accurate temperature. However, it is fast and convenient to use and proper positioning is needed to get a better result. It is not recommended for babies who are younger than 6 months.

Forehead thermometers or temporal artery thermometers also use infrared to get the body temperature by scanning the temporal artery. Same with ear thermometer, it gives faster result and is easy to use. Forehead thermometers can be used for babies as young as 3 months and is more accurate compared to ear thermometers. The only downside to temporal artery thermometers is that it is more expensive compared to ear thermometer or other types of thermometers.

You can find forehead and ear thermometers on Amazon.