Fever Does Not Seem to Be a Symptom of Teething

Many parents of teething children attribute a variety of signs and symptoms, including fever, to the teething process, but doing so might overlook possible illness. To assess the signs and symptoms of primary tooth eruption, researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 10 observational studies in healthy children.

Among the combined total of 3506 healthy children aged ≤36 months, 71% had local or systemic signs or symptoms. The most common were irritation of the gums (86%), irritability (68%), and drooling (56%). Fever was reported in roughly 25% of children; however, on closer analysis of individual studies, the investigators found that the temperature rise was generally to a level lower than the definition of fever (>38°C…