The effect of factors such as handedness, sex and age on body temperature measured by an infrared ‘tympanic’ thermometer

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of IRET has been called into question. However, there are a number of factors that might affect ear temperature measurement. Some of these are the focus of this study. METHOD: 366 asymptomatic subjects (0.75 to 53 years old) volunteered to take part in this ethically approved study. The data were analysed in respect to handedness, sex and age. RESULTS: Two-way ANOVAs showed significant interactions between age group and sex (first ear measured, p = 0.017; second p = 0.298), and between handedness and sex (first ear measured, p = 0.011; second p = 0.040) in relation to their ear temperature. Ear temperatures of males tended to be lower than females, however this only found significance in the 'Early Puberty' age group (p < 0.001). DISCUSSION: Significant differences in ear temperature were seen for handedness, sex and age. CONCLUSION: We have shown that handedness, sex and age might be contributory factors to ear temperature differences in the population.