Episode 979: Oral vs Temporal Thermometers

Contributor: Taylor Lynch, MD

Educational Pearls:

• A recent study published in a pediatric journal in April 2025 compared temporal and oral thermometers
• Paired temperature measurements (temporal and oral temperature within 30 minutes) were obtained from 1,412 pediatric patients
  • 26% of patients had statistically different temporal and oral temperatures
    • The temporal reading was always lower than the oral reading
    • Children less than 12 years old were 2-3x more likely to actually have that statistical difference in temperatures
• The study also evaluated 1,000 adult patients
  • 36% had a temporal temperature that was 0.5 degrees Celsius lower than the oral temperature
• Reasons for the statistical difference between the two types of thermometers:
  • Environment: temporal thermometers are affected by ambient room temperature, diaphoresis, and inaccuracy in measuring temperature at the site of the temporal artery
  • Physiologic: a patient with inadequate perfusion will not have an accurate temporal reading
• Impact:
  • Obtaining an accurate temperature is crucial in patient care
  • For example, in the setting of sepsis, temperature is a necessary component to identifying when a patient meets SIRS criteria

References

1. Salhi RA, Meeker MA, Williams C, Iwashyna TJ, Samuels-Kalow ME. Inaccuracy of Temporal Thermometer Measurement by Age and Race. Acad Pediatr. 2025 Apr;25(3):102620. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2024.102620. Epub 2024 Dec 15. PMID: 39681266.

Summarized by Meg Joyce, MS2 | Edited by Meg Joyce & Jorge Chalit, OMS4

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