1)      Impacted ear wax

2)      Otitis externa – ear ache, ear discharge, yellow, yellow-green, foul smelling, itchy ear canal, deafness, eczematous ear canal, cotton bud trauma, tragus tenderness present, tugging pinna painful, tender, red ear canal, swollen canal, debris seen, finally red, tender tragus, Tx – topical antibiotics, steroid drops, NSAIDs, systemic antibiotics if cellulitis present, corticosteroid drops, analgesics,

3)      Furunculosis – severe throbbing earache, furuncle inside the ear canal, Tx - analgesics, cloxacillin

4)      Acute Otitis Media – rhinorrhea, cough, earache, irritability, ear tugging, deafness, preceding viral URTI, bulging, red TM, perforated TM with purulent discharge, Tx – paracetamol, ibuprofen, antibiotic prescription SOS if the symptoms worsen, antibiotics may be used from the start if child < 2 yrs, bilateral disease, high temperature, purulent ear discharge

5)      Traumatic perforation – ear trauma, tinnitus, ear pain, otoscopy – ear perforation and mild bleeding, Tx – no ear drops, no swimming, review 2 weeks for healing or earlier of new symptoms develop,

6)      Referred dental pain – dental infections

7)      Temporomandibular joint dysfunction – ear ache, tmj clicks, pain increase with mouth movements,

8)      Barotrauma – altitude changes as in flying, scuba diving, driving in mountains, recurrent allergies, URTIs, earache, deafness, the sensation of fullness or stuffiness in ears, dizziness, nose bleeds, ear bleeds, eardrum bulge, ear drum retraction, ruptured ear drum, blood inside the middle ear, hearing loss, vertigo, Mx – suck on candy, chew gum, etc if outside pressure is decreasing as in plane climb-ups, inhale and then exhale into the closed nostrils when outside pressure is rising as in diving and plane landing, Xylometazoline nasal decongestants, Cetirizine or Loratadine.

9)      Foreign body – contact with object, earache, dizziness, deafness, tinnitus, ea bleeding, Mx – removal only under direct vision, if not ENT referral, if live insect under otoscopy put in olive oil or if no perforations ear syringing,

10)  Perforated ear drum – acoustic trauma, barotrauma, direct self-injury, foreign bodies, ear infections, earache, ear discharge, deafness, tinnitus, Otoscopy – ear perforation seen, Mx – antibiotics, NSAIDs, usually heals within 2 months, if not tympanoplasty to prevent permanent hearing loss, recurrent otitis media

11)  TemporoMandibular Joint Syndrome – habitual clenching and teeth grinding, bruxism, poor posture like looking at computer screens with head thrust forward, myofascial pain syndrome, headache, toothache, earache, jaw pain, facial pain, jaw clicks, chewing pain, unable to open or close mouth fully, jaw deviations, tender TMJ joint, trigger points in masseters, temporalis muscles, trapezius, neck muscles, sternocleidomastoids, Mx – Massaging (look for trigger points in above muscles, massage the point with hard, slow, short strokes until the tender point disappears), attend to the risk factors above,