A pilot study of non-nutritive suck measures immediately pre- and post-frenotomy in full term infants with problematic feeding

Introduction The purpose of this study was to describe symptoms of problematic feeding in infants with tongue-tie, evaluate changes in non-nutritive suck measures before and after frenotomy, and examine tongue-tie severity with changes in non-nutritive suck patterning. Method Parents completed the Neonatal Eating Assessment Tool about infant feeding before frenotomy. Non-nutritive suck data were collected for 5 min before and after frenotomy. We used paired t-tests to compare non-nutritive suck measures pre- and post-frenotomy and linear regression evaluated the effect of tongue-tie severity and infant behavioral state on change in non-nutritive suck mechanics. Results Twenty-one infants had scores that met criteria for problematic feeding. The infant's non-nutritive suck amplitude (cmH2O) (p = .02) and non-nutritive burst duration (sec) (p = .03) decreased post-frenotomy. Discussion This study supports the need for additional research to better understand feeding problems and changes in non-nutritive suck amplitude and duration in infants with tongue-tie.