Variations from thermometer placement

Temperature varies along with thermometer placement, with rectal temperature being 0.3-0.6 °C (0.5-1 °F) upper than oral temperature, while axillary temperature is 0.3-0.6 °C (0.5-1 °F) lower than oral temperature. The normal differentiation between oral and axillary temperatures of Indian children aged 6-12 was found to be merely 0.1 °C (standard deviation 0.2 °C), and the mean difference in Malta children aged 4-14 involving oral and axillary temperature was 0.56 °C, while the mean difference between rectal and axillary temperature for children below 4 years old was 0.38 °C.