Editing Pacifier (section)

==Benefits==
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's (AAPD) policy on pacifier use in the first months of life is to support the parental decision.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=American  Academy  of  Pediatric  Dentistry |date=2024 |title=American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Policy on  pacifiers |url=https://www.aapd.org/globalassets/media/policies_guidelines/p_pacifiers.pdf |journal=The Reference Manual of Pediatric Dentistry. |publisher=Chicago, Ill |pages=79-82}}</ref> Pacifier use is associated with a lower risk of developing a habit of [[Thumb sucking|finger sucking]].<ref name=":0" /> The messaging from the AAPD is that prolonged use of a pacifier after 1 year of age can increase the risk of otitis media and use of a pacifier after 1.5 years (18 months) can have a negative effect on the development of the baby's orofacial complex that can lead to bite and cross bite problems.<ref name=":0" /> 

There is some evidence that pacifiers can decrease the risk of [[sudden infant death syndrome]] (SIDS).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Psaila |first=Kim |last2=Foster |first2=Jann P. |last3=Pulbrook |first3=Neil |last4=Jeffery |first4=Heather E. |date=2017-04-05 |title=Infant pacifiers for reduction in risk of sudden infant death syndrome |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28378502 |journal=The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews |volume=4 |issue=4 |pages=CD011147 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD011147.pub2 |issn=1469-493X |pmc=6478106 |pmid=28378502}}</ref> The researchers are divided over whether this association is sufficient reason to prefer pacifier use. Some argue that pacifiers should be recommended on the strength of an association, just as [[Sudden infant death syndrome#Sleep positioning|back sleeping]] was recommended on the strength of an association.<ref>[http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/116/5/e716 Do Pacifiers Reduce the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome? A Meta-analysis]. Pediatrics.aappublications.org. Retrieved on 2013-04-14.</ref><ref>[http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/116/5/1245.full#sec-6 The Changing Concept of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome]. Aappolicy.aappublications.org. Retrieved on 2013-04-14.</ref> Others argue that the association is not strong enough or that the mechanism is unclear.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Horne RS|author2=Hauck FR|author3=Moon RY|author4=L'hoir MP|author5=Blair PS|title=Dummy (pacifier) use and sudden infant death syndrome: potential advantages and disadvantages|journal=J Paediatr Child Health|year=2014|issue=3|doi=10.1111/jpc.12402|pmid=24674245|volume=50|pages=170–4|s2cid=23184656|doi-access=}}</ref>

Pacifiers can help premature infants as they develop their reflexes including the sucking reflex.<ref name=":0" /> 

Pacifiers can also provide comfort and some amount of pain-reliever effect if an infants requires a minor procedure. Pacifiers have also been found to reduce infants'  crying during painful procedures such as [[venipuncture]].<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Blass EM, Watt LB | year = 1999 | title = Suckling- and sucrose-induced analgesia in human newborns | journal = Pain | volume = 83 | issue = 3| pages = 611–23 | doi=10.1016/s0304-3959(99)00166-9| pmid = 10568870 | s2cid = 1695984 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Curtis SJ, Jou H, Ali S, Vandermeer B, Klassen T | year = 2007 | title = A randomized controlled trial of sucrose and/or pacifier as analgesia for infants receiving venipuncture in a pediatric emergency department | journal = BMC Pediatrics | volume = 7 | page = 27 | doi=10.1186/1471-2431-7-27| pmid = 17640375 | pmc = 1950500 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

Researchers in Brazil have shown that neither "orthodontic" nor standard pacifiers prevent dental problems if children continue sucking past the age of three years.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Zardetto, Cristina Giovannetti del Conte, Célia Regina Martins Delgado Rodrigues and Fabiane Miron Stefani|year=2002|title=Effects of Different Pacifiers on the Primary Dentition and Oral Myofunctional Structures of Preschool Children|journal=Pediatric Dentistry|volume=24|pages=552–559|pmid=12528948|issue=6}}
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It is commonly reported anecdotally that pacifier use among [[stimulant]] users helps reduce [[bruxism]] and thus prevents tooth damage.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}} It is also known to help infants and toddlers to get to sleep and also keeps infants and toddlers calm.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}