It is not easy to apply ear drops to a fussy tot with a raging ear infection. But for kids with ear tubes, antibiotic drops appear to be a vastly superior way to treat infections.

A new study of 80 children published online in a recent issue of the journal Pediatrics showed that antibiotic eardrops were more effective than oral antibiotics for middle-ear infections.

The drops resolved the ear drainage three to five days faster and resulted in more cures overall – 85 percent of those using drops compared with 59 percent of those swallowing pill or liquid antibiotics. Ear tubes provide better access to the middle ear so that more of the medicine reaches the infection.