April 2007
Oral thermometers are tops for temps
A REALISTIC READING The BD digital thermometer was among the most precise for both adults and children.
Which type of fever thermometer is best? We asked 24 adults and 21 children ages 5 to 14 to test eight oral, ear, and forehead
thermometers and found:
We based our Ratings primarily on precision, or how widely the thermometers' results varied from those of our control thermometer, the accuracy
of which we verified.
The bottom line. A digital oral thermometer is the best choice for an adult or a child over age 3. The best in our tests was the BD Digital Accu-Beep, $10, which beeps when it's properly located under the tongue. Its only disadvantage is that it takes about a minute to provide a readout. A very good choice that delivered the temperature in less than 30 seconds was the Vicks Comfort-Flex, $14, which has a soft tip.
The top three have a signal to indicate when they're done and a lifetime warranty. They can be used to take temperatures rectally and under the arm as well as orally. Rectal temperatures are generally considered most accurate for younger children. Oral temperatures tend to be as much as 1º F lower than rectal.
Ear thermometers work in just one second but were more expensive and less precise than oral thermometers, perhaps because proper alignment in the ear canal can be tricky. With the forehead thermometer we tested, the Exergen, you press a button as you slide the probe across the forehead, then release the button and read the temperature. It cost $50, wasn't especially precise, and broke when we dropped it (no others did).
- The oral ones proved best overall.
- Price and performance don't correlate. The best cost less than $15. A $30 children's ear thermometer was only fair.
- Simple as thermometers are, some have bells and whistles that can be convenient--beeps that tell you when they're in the right
spot or when they're finished, or soft or curved tips.
The bottom line. A digital oral thermometer is the best choice for an adult or a child over age 3. The best in our tests was the BD Digital Accu-Beep, $10, which beeps when it's properly located under the tongue. Its only disadvantage is that it takes about a minute to provide a readout. A very good choice that delivered the temperature in less than 30 seconds was the Vicks Comfort-Flex, $14, which has a soft tip.
The top three have a signal to indicate when they're done and a lifetime warranty. They can be used to take temperatures rectally and under the arm as well as orally. Rectal temperatures are generally considered most accurate for younger children. Oral temperatures tend to be as much as 1º F lower than rectal.
Ear thermometers work in just one second but were more expensive and less precise than oral thermometers, perhaps because proper alignment in the ear canal can be tricky. With the forehead thermometer we tested, the Exergen, you press a button as you slide the probe across the forehead, then release the button and read the temperature. It cost $50, wasn't especially precise, and broke when we dropped it (no others did).
