Ankyloglossia and effects on breast-feeding, speech problems and mechanical/social issues in children

Ankyloglossia and effects on breast-feeding, speech problems and mechanical/social issues in children. Background: This aim of this study was to define the characteristics of the patients who underwent surgery for ankyloglossia.

Patients and methods: The patients (n = 127) with ankyloglossia underwent surgery between 1987 and 2005. The patients were evaluated for age, gender, complaints, grade, and operative procedures. This study did not cover postoperative evaluation of the procedure.

Results: The ages of the children ranged from 20 days to 7 years, and 84% of them were under 1 year of age. Seventytwo percent were boys; 28% were girls. The most common complaint of the parents of infants under one year of age was breast-feeding (35/84). When the tongue movements of the patients were examined, 57 patients (of whom 18 were over one year of age) had limited tongue mobility. The mean frenulum length of the patients was grade 1 in 72 patients and grade 2 in 55 patients. Ankyloglossia was corrected by frenotomy. Three patients had bleeding from their frenotomy site which resolved with local pressure. General anaesthesia was preferred for 77 patients, and there was a need for suturing in 20 patients.

Conclusion: The correction of ankyloglossia at an early age reduces the risk of latent complications. In addition, the early correction will mitigate the feeding- and speech-related concerns of parents and doctors alike.