Comparisons of the latching on between newborns with tongue-tie and normal newborns

Abstract

Background: Breastfeeding is recommended as the exclusive feeding for the first six months of the newborns life. Difficulty in latching and breastfeeding resulting from tongue-tie are believed to be a problem.

Objective: To compare the latching on between newborns with tongue-tie (ankyloglossia) and normal newborns.

Material and method: The subjects were 833 normal, postpartum women who delivered without complications at HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sririndhorn Medical Center in Nakhon Nayok Province between January and June 2013. Their newborns oral cavities' were checked for tongue-tie screening and diagnoses using Kotlow's criteria. Latch scores were used for latch-on assessment at the second day postpartum. Demographic data and latch scores were collected and analyzed by the t-test, Chi-square test, Odds ratio with 95% confidence interval and One-way of ANOVA test.

Results: The data shows that the incidence of tongue-tie was 13.4% (6.2% with mild tongue-tie, 5.5% with moderate tongue-tie, and 1.7% with severe tongue-tie). The mean of latch scores in the tongue-tied groups were significantly lower than that in the normal group, especially in the moderate and severe tongue-tie subgroups. The odds ratios for latch scores were < or = 8 compared between the moderate and severe tongue-tied subgroups and the score in the normal and mild tongue-tied subgroups was 1.4.

Conclusion: The latch scores in tongue-tied newborns were significantly lower than those in normal newborns.