Lingual frenulum: quantitative evaluation proposal

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish a quantitative method to classify lingual frenulum as normal and altered.

Methods: 98 people were included in this study. All measurements were made with maxium opening of the mouth. A digital caliper was used to measure the length of the frenulum under three conditions: a) with the tongue tip on the incisal papilla; b) with the tongue sucked up and maintained against the hard palate; and c) with tongue stretching over a spatula.

Results: Observations indicated that the most useful and statistically significant way of measuring frenulum length was achieved with maximum mouth opening and the tongue tip on the incisal papilla.

Conclusion: This quantitative method was demonstrated to be effective for identifying and distinguishing normal and altered frenular length.