PURPOSE: To assess the effectiveness of blowing, suction, and nasal breathing exercises, associated with nose cleaning and Valsalva's maneuver, for Eustachian tube dysfunctions and preventing recurrent otitis media. METHODS: Twenty-two children of both genders, with ages between three and six years, who had a history of recurrent otitis media and, at the moment of the exam, types A and C tympanometric curves participated in the study. The subjects were submitted daily to the above-mentioned procedures for 3 months. RESULTS: At the end of the study, the last immitance audiometry of the 22 analyzed children showed that 18 of them had bilateral type A curves and no otitis episodes during this interval. CONCLUSION: In the studied sample, these procedures proved to be effective for preventing tube dysfunction and recurrent otitis media, and may be used preventively in children at day care centers.
Otitis media; Eustachian tube; Child day care centers; Primary prevention; Acoustic impedance tests
