Family Practitioner Questions Fever

Which thermometer is more accurate?

I know you can measure body temperature with both an oral and ear thermometer. My mother always used the ear one when I was growing up. Which is more accurate?

5 Answers

They should both be quite accurate with little difference to the temperature detected.
Oral or anal are the most accurate
Technically speaking, a rectal thermometer’s most accurate. However, I generally recommend an oral thermometer for older children and adults. For very young children, an ear thermometer is fine- but the placement can sometimes be tricky, so make sure to follow the diagram for your model.
There are many different brands of each. A good oral thermometer of a good tympanic thermometer will do the job just fine.
Oral, but ear is also good.