Limited benefit from grommets for recurrent acute otitis media in children

Current evidence is limited to 5 randomised controlled trials with unclear or high risk of bias. Low to very low‐quality evidence suggests children receiving grommets are less likely to have rAOM at 6 and 12 months of follow‐up compared with those managed by active monitoring and placebo medication, but the magnitude of the effect is modest with around one fewer episode at 6 months (number needed to treat to benefit; NNTB = 3) and a less noticeable effect by 12 months (NNTB = 8). Low‐quality evidence suggests disease‐specific quality of life is similar at 4 and 12 months in children receiving grommets and those managed by active monitoring. It is uncertain whether or not grommets are more effective than antibiotic prophylaxis. The risk of persistent tympanic membrane perforation after grommet insertion is low (low‐quality evidence).