Abstract: Background: Children are more likely to suffer from otitis media (OM) than adults because their
immune systems are still developing and the Eustachian tube is shorter and straighter. Objective: To identify the
risk factors of OM in children and to design a program for prevention and control. .Material and Methods:
Children with OM (600) were selected randomly from the cases attending the ENT and pediatrics outpatient clinic
of Benha University Hospital in the period from January-to-December, 2009. Age of these children ranged between
3months up to 12 years. Also, 600 children were selected from Ophthalmology and Dermatology clinics as a control
group. Both case and control groups were subjected to investigations including history, clinical examination and
audio-metric tests. Results: The study showed that the rural areas (p